An impressive step in terms of environmental protection was made in New Zealand on the 16th of March 2017. On this day the Whanguanui river has been announced to be a legal entity. The Whanganui river is the 3rd largest rivers in New Zealand and has now the same legal rights as a human being.
Especially for the local Maori tribe of Whanganui the end of the litigation was a huge achievement since the law suit had continued for 140 years. In the settlement 2 guardians, one from the crown and one from the Whanganui iwi, are appointed to act on behalf of the Wahganui river. Furthermore a financial redress of NZ$ 80m and NZ$1m contribution for establishing the legal framework for the river, are included in the settlement.
One point, which stuck out for me in the article of the guardian was the following quote:
“We have fought to find an approximation in law so that all others can understand that from our perspective treating the river as a living entity is the correct way to approach it, as in indivisible whole, instead of the traditional model for the last 100 years of treating it from a perspective of ownership and management.”
From my point of view this quote reflects very adequately the attitude of many human begins towards the earth and nature. As a result the on-going exploitation of natural resources are hardly surprising. Therefor I believe western society could learn a lot of indigenous people and their intercourse with the nature.
