A Voice for Coral Reef Ecosystems through Ecocentric Law
Coral reefs are in crisis. Rising ocean temperatures, pollution, overfishing, and destructive development are pushing these ancient, life-giving ecosystems to the brink. Rather than treating coral reefs as property or resources, what if we recognized them as living beings with legal rights?
“A Voice for Coral Reef Ecosystems Through the Rights of Nature and Ecocentric Law” is a three-part toolkit to equip policymakers, advocates, and legal professionals with bold legal strategies to protect coral reefs. The toolkit offers pathways to do so based on rights, guardianship, and ecological kinship. It details a powerful new legal approach that gives coral reefs a voice in the legal system, secures their rights to exist, regenerate, and flourish, and empowers communities to defend them in court and policy.
Rights of Coral Reefs Toolkit
Our toolkit is designed for:
- Policymakers drafting reef protections or constitutional amendments
- Lawyers and advocates defending reef ecosystems
- Governments seeking transformative climate and biodiversity strategies
- Communities and Indigenous stewards ready to act
The toolkit includes:
- A model law granting coral reefs legal personhood and enforceable rights
- Guidance on creating reef guardianship councils with legal standing
- Legal frameworks to recognize reefs as rights-bearing entities
- Policy strategies rooted in TEK, human rights, and ecocentric law
- Case studies from Panama, Ecuador, Spain, and Indigenous nations
Core Rights of Coral Reefs
The toolkit recommends granting coral reefs the rights to:
- Exist, thrive, regenerate, and evolve
- Maintain ecological integrity and biodiversity
- Be represented by legal guardians
- Access clean water and stable habitats
- Recover from harm through restorative justice
These rights align with cutting-edge legal frameworks like Rights of Nature, ecocide law, and the rights of future generations, offering a bold path forward for reef resilience and ocean justice.
Model Legislation
The toolkit includes a comprehensive model law adaptable for use by national, subnational, or Indigenous governments. Jurisdictions can:
- Protect all reefs or specific ones
- Establish reef guardianship bodies
- Tie legal protections to ecological health thresholds
- Fund guardianship and restoration through legal penalties
We offer technical support for governments ready to take action.
Why Now?
Global frameworks like the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the UN Ocean Decade call for bold action. The recognition of reef rights can help nations fulfill their commitments—while centering justice for coastal communities and ecosystems alike.
Legal innovation can no longer wait. The Rights of Coral Reefs Toolkit equips decision-makers with the tools to lead, transform ocean law, and give reefs the voice they’ve long been denied.
Source: Press release
