About
The Eco Jurisprudence Monitor (EJM) is a global research project tracking the rise of Earth-centered law. From Rights of Nature to Indigenous traditions and ecocentric policy, we document how communities worldwide are reshaping law to confront climate change, protect biodiversity, and recognize the interdependence of all life.
Our Mission
Our open-access platform is the leading global resource on Rights of Nature and ecocentric legal developments. Our mission is to provide reliable, up-to-date data and tools to study the legal innovations driving this paradigm shift. We work with lawyers, academics, activists, and Indigenous leaders to share knowledge and deepen understanding of ecological jurisprudence.
Our Vision
We envision legal and governance systems that recognize the intrinsic value of Nature and uphold justice for both human and more-than-human communities. This vision is rooted in diverse worldviews, including both Indigenous and Western legal traditions, and reflects a global shift toward ecological governance and living in harmony with Nature and all its beings.
Our Approach
We map the global landscape of ecological law through a comprehensive database, visual tools, and storytelling. Each initiative features a summary, data, legal text, and multimedia to reflect the depth and diversity of ecological jurisprudence. The EJM is regularly updated and supported by a global network. We welcome contributions to help keep the EJM a living and accurate resource.
Our Team
The Eco Jurisprudence Monitor was developed by an international group of scholars and researchers through a collaborative process. These researchers comprise the Advisory Board of the GARN Academic Hub, which serves the Monitor’s managing board. If you would like to learn about other experts working in this space, see the GARN Academic Hub.
Craig Kauffman
Executive Director
Dr. Craig Kauffman is a Professor of Political Science and Environmental Studies at the University of Oregon. His work focuses on environmental politics, ecological law, rights of nature, and sustainable development. He is the author of numerous articles and books, including The Politics of Rights of Nature (MIT Press, 2022). Since 2021, he has served as Principal Investigator of the Eco Jurisprudence Monitor (funded by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and Environment Now) leading an international team of researchers to develop the resource. He is also a member of the UN Harmony with Nature Network and a founding member of the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN) Academic Hub.
Cat Haas
Director of Operations
Cat Haas joined the Eco Jurisprudence Monitor in 2022 and has served as its Director since 2023, leading the project’s research, partnerships, and strategic development. Her work centers on strengthening multilateralism, fostering global partnerships and education, and exploring multidisciplinary collaboration to integrate art, storytelling, and innovative design. She holds an M.A. in Global Studies from the University of North Carolina, where her research focused on pluriversal ontology in the development and globalization of the Rights of Nature movement. Cat also serves on the Steering Committee of the GARN Academic Hub and is a member of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law.
Louis Charron
Director of Technology & Design
Louis Charron is a designer specialized in science communication, helping scientists translate complex ideas for broad audiences through storytelling, branding, and digital design. He holds an MFA from École des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, and was a Designer and Research Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Senseable City Lab from 2017–2019. He has since collaborated with labs at MIT, Dartmouth, and the University of British Columbia, focusing on visual identities, websites, and animation. Louis supports the Eco Jurisprudence Monitor’s design, helping make Earth law accessible and engaging through creative, narrative-driven media.
Montserrat Anguiano
Communications Manager
Montserrat Anguiano is a digital marketing and communications specialist with a degree in International Business. She supports the Eco Jurisprudence Monitor’s communications, social media strategy, and engagement to strengthen the visibility and impact of ecological law initiatives worldwide. Based in Quintana Roo, Mexico, Montserrat is also a dedicated activist and environmentalist focused on sea turtle conservation and plastic pollution awareness, working to promote sustainability and environmental responsibility among individuals, organizations, and businesses.
Carine Gibert
Education Ambassador and Arts Curator
Carine Gibert is the Founder of Grounded in Motion, a practice dedicated to ecological arts and educational curations that centre the Earth. At Eco Jurisprudence, she serves as Curator of Ecological Arts & Learning, where she integrates art, pedagogy, and ecology into transformative installations and educational programmes. Her work bridges creative expression with systemic ecological awareness, offering learning pathways that invite communities to reimagine their relationship with the living world.
Chiara Grimes
Research Intern
Chiara Grimes is a Georgetown graduate and second-year MPA student at George Mason University, concentrating in Environmental Science and Public Policy. Her research has examined Black womanhood and Indigenous autonomy in connection with colonial violence, urban biodiversity and ecological inequality in D.C. parkland. She has a strong interest in eco-feminist studies and is passionate about cultivating a culture that values the environment for its inherent worth. Chiara seeks to advance gender justice and Harmony with Nature, with plans to pursue a PhD on women leadership in Rights of Nature movement and policy in the US.
Advisory Board
The EJM Advisory Board is composed of global experts and leaders in ecological law, Indigenous legal traditions, and environmental governance. The Board provides strategic guidance and helps ensure the Monitor’s development remains grounded, ethical, and responsive to the global Earth law movement.
Alex Putzer
NYU | German Ocean Foundation
Alex Putzer is a researcher on the rights of nature in cities affiliated with the NYU School of Law and the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. A postdoctoral Fulbright-Schuman Alumni at the NYU Department of Environmental Studies, Alex wrote his dissertation at Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Italy, including affiliations with MIT, UPenn, and The New School in the United States. As a United Nations Harmony with Nature Expert, a 2023 UNESCO Fellow in Anticipation and Transformation, and a member of the EJM Advisory Board, Alex is eager to discover yet unidentified questions for his research and beyond.
Alessandro Pelizzon
University of the Sunshine Coast
Alessandro Pelizzon is a Professor of Law at the University of the Sunshine Coast, specializing in ecological jurisprudence and legal ontologies. A leading voice in the Rights of Nature movement, he helped develop the Eco Jurisprudence Monitor in 2021 and co-founded the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature, where he serves on the Executive Committee. He is an expert member of the UN Harmony with Nature programme, and holds a LLM from the University of Turin and PhD from the University of Wollongong. His book Ecological Jurisprudence: Law, Representation and Environmental Metaphysic was published in 2025.
Pamela Martin
Costal Carolina University
Pamela Martin is a Professor of Political Science and HTC Distinguished Honors Fellow at Coastal Carolina University, where she teaches international relations, environmental politics, and sustainability. As Executive Director of the RISE Center, a UN University Regional Centre of Expertise, she focuses on sustainable development. She has published extensively on global environmental policy and co-authored The Politics of Rights of Nature (MIT Press) with Craig Kauffman, exploring sustainability strategies. Martin collaborates with organizations and communities to develop resilience and sustainability plans.
Representatives
The EJM’s country, regional, and thematic representatives are scholars, practitioners, and advocates advancing ecological jurisprudence worldwide. They strengthen the Monitor by identifying initiatives, sharing local insights, and ensuring our work reflects the legal traditions, worldviews, and ecological realities where these efforts emerge.
Austria
Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Fundamental and Human Rights
Dr. Camilla Sophia Haake
Camilla Haake is a lawyer and post-doctoral researcher working with the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Fundamental and Human Rights affiliated with the University of Vienna, and heading the Institute’s programme line “Sustainability, Development, Business, Social”. She has a doctorate in Public International Law. Her research focus is on human rights protection in Public International Law and European Union Law, particularly on intersectional issues in the areas of human rights and business and human rights and the environment. In the field of Rights of Nature, Camilla conducts research into the opportunities and challenges of establishing Rights of Nature through constitutional legislation and judicial development of the law in Austria and Germany, among other things.
Balkans
Balkan Centre for the Rights of Nature;
Earth Thrive
Zoe Lujic
Zoe is an expert in Earth Law for more than a decade, as well as a deep environmentalist and permaculturist. She has an MSc in Environmental Studies (UK, 2005) and is the founder of the international organization Earth Thrive for the Rights of Nature in the Balkans and the Mediterranean (2016). Previously, she served on the executive committee of the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN) and was a founder and facilitator of the GARN Europe Hub. She organized two International Tribunals for the Rights of Nature in Serbia: European Tribunal for the Rights of Aquatic Ecosystems (2021) & 14th Local Rights of Nature Tribunal for Gold Mining in Serbia (2024). Zoe also holds a certificate of a design in permaculture (2006, London) and is a pioneer of Permaculture in Serbia.
Brazil
Mapas
Vanessa Hasson
Vanessa Hasson is the Executive Director of NGO MAPAS and a leading advocate for the Rights of Nature in Brazil. She helped pass Brazil’s first Rights of Nature law in Bonito and has since supported similar legislation in Paudalho, Florianópolis, Serro, and many other municipalities and states. Vanessa holds a PhD in Rights of Nature and a Master’s in International Relations and Environmental Law. She is an expert member of the UN Harmony with Nature Program and author of Rights of Nature (Lumen Juris, 2nd ed. 2021) which is the first book on Rights of Nature in Brazil. Her work bridges civil society, law, and deep ecology.
Denmark
Stop Ecocide Danmark
Bart Bess
Bart Joachim Bes holds a PhD in Political Science and has conducted research in international governance. His work has been published in several political science journals, and he is co-author of the book Global Legitimacy Crisis: Decline and Revival in Multilateral Governance (Oxford University Press). With experience as a sustainability consultant and as co-leader of Stop Ecocide Denmark, he actively contributes to the debate on nature protection and rights of nature in Denmark.
Ecuador
SUNY Albany
Lourdes Aguas
Lourdes Aguas is a political sociologist whose research focuses on how the Rights of Nature framework is being deployed in Ecuador. She explores the intertwined relationship between human and nonhuman rights, particularily in participatory decision-making around environmental governance.
France
Wild Legal
Marine Calmet
Marine Calmet is a french environmental lawyer and activist, serving as spokesperson for the Or de Question collective, which fights against destructive mining projects in French Guiana. She advocates for a legal revolution inspired by the intelligence and creativity of the living world and rooted in Indigenous knowledge. In 2019, she founded Wild Legal, a groundbreaking organization dedicated to advancing the Rights of Nature in France. As an author, her books include Becoming Guardians of Nature (Tana, 2021 – European Institute of Ecology Book Prize), Decolonizing the Law (Wild Project, 2024), and Justice for the Starfish, Towards the recognition of Ocean Rights (Actes Sud, 2025).
Germany
Germany Rights of Nature Network
Christian Cray
Christian Cray is a board member of the German Rights of Nature Network, active in the areas of communication, education, and international networking. He represents the European platform of the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN) and is committed to the recognition of the rights of nature at the United Nations. For over 25 years, he has been exploring approaches to a socio-ecological transformation of our society. Christian lived and worked for several years with indigenous communities and umbrella organizations in the Ecuadorian Amazon region. There, he worked for the organization Acción Ecológica and advocated for the recognition of indigenous rights and territories.
Ghana
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology;
Rights of Nature Ghana
Dickson Adom
Dickson is a socio-legal researcher exploring how the Rights of Nature framework can integrate environmental legislation in Ghana. He is assessing stakeholder perspectives on important environmental governance to inform future policy and practice. Dickson is the founder of Rights of Nature Ghana which leads advocacy and training programs across civil society organizations, government agencies (including the EPA and various Environmental Commissions) and schools and school boards. His work aims to shape a national discourse on ecological justice and inspire a new environmental stewardship in Ghana grounded in the rights of ecosystems.
Ireland
Barrister-at-Law (Ireland); WWF International
Selina Hinten-White
Selina is a Barrister-at-Law in Ireland, with expertise in environmental law, human rights, and the Rights of Nature. She serves as Legal Counsel with WWF International, advising on international labour and employment law in support of the organization’s global conservation mission. Selina is an active member of the Rights of Nature and Animals research group of the International Association for Constitutional Law (IECL), an expert member of World Animal Justice and the Global Animal Law Association, and contributes to GARN’s Legal Hub. She also serves as Associate Fellow of the Global Research Network’s Animals and Biodiversity programme and as Netherlands representative on the International Law Association’s Rights of Nature Committee. Selina is pursuing an advanced LL.M. in International Business Law at Tilburg University.
Latin America
Earth Law Center – Latin America Program
Constanza Prieto Figelist
Constanza is founder and director of the Latin America Legal Program at the Earth Law Center (ELC). She is a lawyer and leading expert on the Rights of Nature, mainly focused on protecting and conserving rivers and marine ecosystems in the Americas. She specializes in drafting ecocentric legislation, collaborating with local organizations and governments, and advising decision makers on regional legislative projects, with successful campaigns in more than five countries in the region. Constanza studied law at the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso (Chile) and has a master’s degree in private international law and international trade from the Pathéon-Assas University in Paris (France), and a master’s degree in environmental and energy law from New York University. She has been honored by International Rivers as one of the most outstanding Women River Defenders.
Mexico
Earth Law Center – Latin America Program
Javier Ruiz
Javier is an environmental lawyer working with the Earth Law Center (ELC) on issues in environmental law, climate change, and the environmental rights of Nature defenders. He is an expert on the Rights of Nature, specialized advisor for litigation to Latin American organizations and groups, and helps draft ecocentric legislation for ELC’s Latin America Legal Program. Javier is also a member of the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law. In the academic field, he has conducted courses on the Rights of Nature, non-human animal rights, and access to environmental justice at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). Javier leads ELC’s work on implementing the Escazú Agreement by participating in the negotiations of the Escazú Agreement Conferences of the Parties.
Marine Ecosystems
Ocean Vision Legal
Michelle Bender
Michelle Bender is a global expert in Earth law and the founder of the ‘Ocean Rights’ initiative, which advances Rights of Nature within the ocean policy seascape. She has helped draft RoN laws and policies in the United States, Panama, Philippines, Pacific Islands, and the international level. She is a member of the IUCN’s World Commission on Environmental Law and an expert member of the UN Harmony with Nature Program. In 2018 she was named one of 15 international Youth Ocean Leaders transforming marine protection and ocean governance by the Sustainable Ocean Alliance.
Netherlands
Rechten van de Natuur
Jessica den Outer
Jessica den Outer is a leading advocate for the Rights of Nature in the Netherlands and director of Stichting Rechten van de Natuur. She has led numerous legal initiatives to protect Dutch ecosystems such as the Maas, Meuse, Waddenzee and Amelisweerd, forming the fastest-growing RoN movement in Europe. She is the author of Rechten voor de Natuur (2023), which highlights global citizen-led efforts to advance nature’s rights. Named one of the Netherlands’ top 100 sustainable young leaders, she has received the ‘Duurzame Lintje’ and serves as an expert for the UN Harmony with Nature Program.
Panama
Leatherback Project
Callie Veelenturf
Callie is a marine conservation biologist, National Geographic Explorer, a Scientist with the United Nations Harmony with Nature Programme, and Founder of The Leatherback Project and National Geographic Society’s program For Nature, who inspires high-impact conservation measures through collaborative scientific research initiatives. Callie has a special focus on marine turtles, ocean ecosystems and the Rights of Nature. She advocated for Panama’s national Rights of Nature law, sea turtle rights, and the Saboga Wildlife Refuge. Most recently, she has received the 2024 Future For Nature Award, 2024 Schmidt Ocean Institute Visionary Award, and 2024 New Explorer of The Year Award from The Explorers Club and been named a 2022 United Nations Development Programme Ocean Innovator and 2020 National Geographic Early Career Leader.
South Korea
People for Earth
Jina Im
Jina is a legal researcher committed to advancing Earth Jurisprudence and the Rights of Nature, a field she first encountered while writing her master’s thesis on standing in environmental litigation. She holds an LL.B. from Sookmyung Women’s University (South Korea) and an LL.M. in Transnational Law from the University of Bremen (Germany). Her experience includes working with Greenpeace Korea, serving as a communications facilitator for the Asia-Pacific Hub of the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN), and interning with UNEP’s legal and policy unit under the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions. Most recently, Jina is working at People for Earth, a Korean foundation dedicated to Earth Jurisprudence and the Rights of Nature.
Spain
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Lidia Cano Pecharroman
Lidia is a lawyer and assistant professor at UT Austin and Director of the Extreme Weather Adaptation Lab at the LBJ School. She holds a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is a Fulbright Scholar, and an expert member of the UN Harmony with Nature Program. She previously served as a Research Fellow at Columbia University’s Earth Institute, where she also earned a Master’s degree. Before that, she worked on Nature Rights and environmental conflict resolution at the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA). Lidia holds a Master’s in International Affairs and African Studies from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and New York University, and a Law Degree from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. She is a member of the Madrid Bar Association.
Switzerland
University of Zurich
Juliana Klose
Juliana Klose is a sustainability expert working at the intersection of ecological protection, legal innovation, and economic transformation. With experience across Swiss federal institutions, NGOs, and purpose-driven businesses, she has led projects integrating biodiversity into sustainable development strategies. Her work focuses on embedding ecological values into buisness and policy strategies. Juliana is currently pursuing a BSc in Biodiversity with a minor in Law at the University of Zurich. She actively supports Rights of Nature initiaitves and advocates for nature as a rights-bearing partner in shaping resilient futures. Juliana is member of the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN). Contact her on LinkedIn
United Kingdom
UK Rights of Nature Network
Lawyers for Nature
Lucy Gavaghan
Lucy is an ecological activist and organiser with a background in International Law and International Relations. She works as a project coordinator with the UK-based Lawyers for Nature, leading research into the rights of rivers and how to embed ecocentric principles in the social context of the UK through immersive events. Lucy’s focus has been on helping Lawyers for Nature explore the connections between movements such as the Rights of Nature and Stop Ecocide. Lucy has worked with both international and regional Nature-based networks for many years, including the GARN European Hub, serving as the facilitator of the GARN Academic Hub communications working group, and helping launch the UK Rights of Nature Network.
Partners
Funding
Eco Jurisprudence Monitor is made possible through the generous support of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and Environment Now.