In April 2022, the Irish Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss, comprising 99 randomly selected citizens and an independent chairperson, began its work to examine how Ireland can address the ongoing biodiversity crisis. Lawyers for Nature, in collaboration with Queen’s University Belfast School of Law and the Environmental Justice Network Ireland, provided expert advice on the potential for incorporating the Rights of Nature into Ireland's legal framework.
Lawyers for Nature proposed a 15-point recommendation, summarized as follows:
The Irish Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss published a report with 150 recommendations, one of the most significant being the constitutional recognition of the Rights of Nature. This aligns with the advice provided, marking a pivotal moment in Ireland’s approach to biodiversity conservation. The report emphasizes the urgent need for the State to act swiftly to combat biodiversity loss and stresses that some necessary legal measures have yet to be implemented.
A key highlight from the Assembly’s findings is Recommendation 31, which calls for a referendum on a Constitutional amendment to recognize Nature as a holder of legal rights. This proposal received overwhelming support, with 75% of the Assembly members backing it. The report was hailed as “a call to action” by the Assembly’s chair, Dr. Ní Shúilleabháin, and stresses the need for urgent, transformative legal and societal changes to protect the environment for the benefit of both nature and humanity.
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The concept of Rights of Nature challenges the way many human beings see the world, a mindset of the natural environment being seen, either actively or passively, as a commodity to be dominated and exploited for the sake of profit or consumption. This idea is deeply encoded in global institutions, including our anthropocentric legal systems. Rights of Nature proposes a shift in our way of thinking about the complex interrelations between humans and nature.
