Earth Law: Oceania

From granting legal personhood to rivers, forests, and mountains to advocating for ecosystem-minded legal systems, movements in Earth Law are catching a strong tailwind throughout Oceania. These bring together modern science and the worldviews of Māori, Aboriginal Australian, and other Indigenous peoples across the islands of the Pacific Ocean. Despite the challenges of colonialism and limited enforcement of international agreements, Earth Law movements in Oceania have proven successful—shown in the granting of legal personhood to the Whanganui River, a forested hill country called Te Urewera, and the dormant stratovolcano known as Taranaki Maunga.