Who owns nature?

The concept of "who owns nature" can be approached from two distinct perspectives:

Legal and Philosophical Perspective

From a philosophical and indigenous perspective, as discussed in Jan van de Venis's TED Talk, the idea is that nature cannot be owned by humans. Instead, the belief is that "nature owns itself," suggesting that nature should be treated as an autonomous entity with its own rights and interests, rather than being subject to human ownership and exploitation1.

Specific Example: Wadden Sea

In a practical example, the Wadden Sea, a UNESCO World Heritage site, has been given legal entity status in Dutch law, allowing it to "own itself" in a legal sense, thereby protecting it from certain human activities that could harm the ecosystem1.

Conclusion

In essence, the question "who owns nature?" can be answered in two ways: philosophically, nature is seen as owning itself and should be respected as such; legally, in some cases, nature can be given rights and protections through specific legal frameworks.