Modelling the future rights of
nature in South Yorkshire
The project aims to demonstrate the potential impacts of obtaining legal personhood for the River Dôn. This has been achieved in several other countries (New Zealand, Ecuador, Spain and India), but not yet in the UK.
By innovating the current legal ownership and governance model, we aim to create the conditions for new legal, economic and democratic frameworks for the rights of nature in South Yorkshire.
In attaining enhanced rights for the River Dôn we want to change the way we interact with and value the river - socially, economically, politically and environmentally.
If you’d like to support our work with a one-off or regular donation, please click the button below.
TOGETHER
“We are the first generation to know the scale of the challenges that have been created by human activity on the planet, and we are one of the last that can deeply do something about it.
It is now about how we collectively harness that: working boldly enough, whilst being legitimate enough and doing so with care; demonstrate systemically, work in ecologies, and with a thoughtful urgency.”
PARTNERS
INSPIRATION
How a River Was Granted Personhood
Video by David Freid
For more than 700 years, the Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, fought to maintain their spiritual connection to the Whanganui River. Mostly, it was a losing battle: Rapids were dynamited, gravel was extracted, and water was drained and polluted. Promises were broken. Generations of Maori looked on as awa tupua—their river of sacred power—was treated as a means to an end or, worse, as a dumping ground.
How a River Was Granted Personhood
Video by David Freid
For more than 700 years, the Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, fought to maintain their spiritual connection to the Whanganui River. Mostly, it was a losing battle: Rapids were dynamited, gravel was extracted, and water was drained and polluted. Promises were broken. Generations of Maori looked on as awa tupua—their river of sacred power—was treated as a means to an end or, worse, as a dumping ground.
In 2017, New Zealand granted legal personhood to the Whanganui River. Since then, other nations have followed suit in an effort to protect the environment.
Article by Kate Evans
Flowing through the heart of New Zealand’s North Island, the Whanganui River is one of the country’s most important natural resources. The river begins its 290km journey on the snowy north-western side of the Mount Tongariro active volcano, winding between green hills and mountains until it meets the Tasman Sea.