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.
Core Team
Craig Kauffman
Executive Director
Dr. Craig Kauffman is Professor of Political Science and Environmental Studies at the University of Oregon. His research and teaching focus on environmental politics, ecological law, rights of nature, and sustainable development. He is the author of various articles and two books, including The Politics of Rights of Nature: Strategies for Building a More Sustainable Future (MIT Press, 2022; with Pamela Martin). Since 2021, Dr. Kauffman has led the Eco Jurisprudence Monitor project, an open access, interactive, online platform that tracks ecological law initiatives globally and provides related information and resources for policymakers, researchers, lawyers, and activists (funded through grants from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and Environment Now). Since then he has served as Executive Director and Principal Investigator, leading an international team of scholars, lawyers, and activists to build, maintain, and expand the Monitor. Dr. Kauffman is also an active member of the United Nations Knowledge Network on Harmony with Nature and a founding member of the Academic Hub of the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature.
Cat Haas
Director of Operations
Cat Haas holds an M.A. in Global Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where her research examined the influence of Indigenous cosmologies and pluriversal ontologies on the development and globalization of the Rights of Nature movement. She has been the lead researcher for the Eco Jurisprudence Monitor since 2022 and has served as its Director since 2023, overseeing research initiatives, strategic partnerships, and project development to advance the global recognition of ecological jurisprudence. Cat also serves on the Steering Committee of the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN) Academic Hub and collaborates with organizations worldwide to promote Earth Law education and foster interdisciplinary collaboration in Earth-centered governance.
Louis Charron
Director of Technology & Design
Louis Charron is a designer specialized in science communication helping scientists communicate complex ideas to broad audiences through storytelling and design. He holds a MFA in Design from Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. From 2017-2019, he was a Designer and Research Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Senseable City Lab with an expertise in science communication, and since has collaborated with several labs at MIT, the Consortium for Interacting Minds at Dartmouth, and the University of British Columbia, focusing on communicating research through visual identities, websites, and video animation.
Montserrat Anguiano
Communications Manager
Montserrat Anguiano is a specialist in digital marketing and communication management with a degree in International Business. A dedicated activist and environmentalist, she is particularly passionate about sea turtle conservation, working to raise awareness and mitigate the impact of plastic pollution in Quintana Roo, Mexico. Her work reflects a deep committment to sustainability, ensuring that both businesses and individuals contribute to a greener, more responsible future.
Laura Burgers
Project Lead, Eco Jurisprudence Blog
Dr. Laura Burgers is a lawyer and academic specializing in climate change litigation and the Rights of Nature and is an expert member of the UN Harmony with Nature programme. She studied law and French literature in Amsterdam, Paris, and New York before earning her PhD at the University of Amsterdam’s Centre for the Study of European Contract Law. Her research explores the democratic legitimacy of climate litigation, challenging traditional notions of democracy by advocating for the rights of future generations, non-human entities, and ecosystems. Inspired by these insights, she now focuses on the Rights of Nature and contributes to Dutch initiatives such as the Embassy of the North Sea and Zoöp, which promote legal recognition for natural entities.
Lauren Tarr
Project Lead, Eco Jurisprudence Library
Lauren Tarr is a scientist and educator living by the shores of Lake Michigan. As a PhD candidate at SUNY-ESF, she studies ecological jurisprudence and the Rights of Nature movement. She serves on the Executive Committee of the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN), advises the GARN Youth Hub, and co-chairs the GARN Academic Hub. Since 2023, she has worked with the GARN Academic Hub to create an Eco Jurisprudence library for the Eco Jurisprudence Monitor.
Interns
Hannah Mussey
Research Intern
Hannah Mussey is a JD candidate at New York University School of Law, hoping to pursue a career at the intersection of Earth law and human rights. Joining the Eco Jurisprudence Monitor as a Research Intern, she is excited to explore methods of legal development that recenter Nature as a subjective actor and recognize the interconnectedness of human beings and the natural world. Originally from sunny San Diego and now based in New York, Hannah holds a Master’s degree from the University of Cambridge and a Bachelor’s from UC Santa Barbara. She’s driven by a vision of law that protects both people and the planet.
Advisory Board
Alessandro Pelizzon
University of the Sunshine Coast
Alessandro Pelizzon is an Associate Professor of Law at the University of the Sunshine Coast, specalizing in ecological jurisprudence and it’s intersection with legal ontologies. A leading voice in the Rights of Nature movement, he helped develop the Eco Jurisprudence Monitor prototype 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 LLB/LLM from the University of Turin and a PhD from the University of Wollongong. His latest book, Ecological Jurisprudence: Law, Representation and Environmental Metaphysic, was recently published by Edinburgh University Press.
For more information see Alessandro Pelizzon
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.
For more information see Pamela Martin – UN Harmony with Nature
Alex Putzer
NYU
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.
For more information see Alex Putzer – UN Harmony with Nature
Laura Burgers
University of Amsterdam
Laura Burgers is a lawyer and academic specializing in climate change litigation and the Rights of Nature and is an expert member of the UN Harmony with Nature programme. She studied law and French literature in Amsterdam, Paris, and New York before earning her PhD at the University of Amsterdam’s Centre for the Study of European Contract Law. Her research explores the democratic legitimacy of climate litigation, challenging traditional notions of democracy by advocating for the rights of future generations, non-human entities, and ecosystems. Inspired by these insights, she now focuses on the Rights of Nature and contributes to Dutch initiatives such as the Embassy of the North Sea and Zoöp, which promote legal recognition for natural entities.
For more information see Laura Burgers – UN Harmony with Nature
Lauren Tarr
State University of New York (SUNY) College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Lauren Tarr is a scientist and educator living by the shores of Lake Michigan. As a PhD candidate at SUNY-ESF, she studies ecological jurisprudence and the Rights of Nature movement. She serves on the Executive Committee of the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN), advises the GARN Youth Hub, and co-chairs the GARN Academic Hub. Since 2023, she has worked with the GARN Academic Hub to create an Eco Jurisprudence library for the Eco Jurisprudence Monitor. You can reach her at academichub@garn.org
Representatives
Brazil
Vanessa Hasson
Vanessa Hasson is the executive Director of NGO MAPAS, which has successfully advanced municipal laws to increase enforcement of Rights of Nature in Brazil. She helped pass Brazil’s first Rights of Nature law in the city of Bonito, and also in Paudalho (PE), Florianópolis (SC), Serro(MG), and many other cities and states. She iholds a PhD in Rights of Nature and a Master’s in International Relations Law and Environmental Law, and is an expert member of the UN Harmony with Nature Program. Since 2004, she has been working on civil society and government projects in the areas of the environment and diffuse and collective rights. Since 2001 she has been researching deep ecology, culminating in her book Rights of Nature (ed. Lumen Juris, 2º Edition, 2021) which is the first book about Rights of Nature in Brazil.
Ecuador
SUNY Albany
Lourdes Aguas
Lourdes Aguas is a political sociologist studying how the Rights of Nature framework is being deployed in Ecuador. Her research explores the intertwined relationship between human and nonhuman rights, particularly participatory rights in environmental decision-making processes.
Netherlands
Jessica den Outer
Jessica den Outer is a leading advocate for the Rights of Nature and the director of Stichting Rechten van de Natuur, a Dutch NGO dedicated to developing Rights of Nature in the Netherlands. She has spearheaded numerous Rights of Nature legal intitiatvied to protect Dutch ecosystems, including the Maas River, the Meuse River, and the Waddenzee and Amelisweerd. Her 2023 book, Rechten voor de Natuur, amplifies citizen-led movements worldwide, urging the Netherlands to adopt Rights of Nature legislation. Recognized for her impact, she has been named among the Netherlands’ top 100 sustainable young leaders and awarded the ‘Duurzame Lintje’, as well as an expert member of UN Harmony with Nature Program.