HL.a.11—Legal personhood for nature

Legal personhood gives a river, forest or other natural entity recognized rights and representation in law, strengthening who may bring a claim on its behalf.

Named example—New Zealand recognizes the Whanganui River (Te Awa Tupua) as a legal person represented by guardians, reflecting Māori understanding of people and river as an interconnected whole.

A guardian can represent the river's interests when pollution or development threatens it; courts still need ecological evidence and must resolve competing rights and duties.

Personhood changes legal standing and representation, not the river's biology or the need for governance and enforcement.

Legal personhood is not a claim that nature is human; it can connect statutory protection with Indigenous knowledge systems.