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Stories from the Movement
From legal milestones to the scientists and storytellers driving this work forward, this is where we share what's happening, in our own words and in the press.
Should Endangered Turtles Have Legal Rights?
The members of The Leatherback Project are nursing warm Cokes and thin coffee at a military base on the edge of Panama City. Nearby, four Panamanian air force mechanics are silhouettes against a sunlit green backdrop of jungle as they huddle around a tiny camouflage-painted Cessna. It is unclear when the little plane last flew, but it is definitely not ready for takeoff. The team’s departure hour on that plane has been a moving target all morning, and now it’s creeping into a
4 days ago
Meet the scientists: our National Geographic Society grantees
In short: On August 11, 2026, the National Geographic Society and forNature announced 10 Explorer-led projects spanning five continents, each working to build the scientific, legal and community evidence behind the Rights of Nature movement. What is the forNature program? The forNature program is a collaboration between National Geographic Explorer Callie Veelenturf and the National Geographic Society, made possible through the support of The Alfred Kobacker and Elizabeth Tri
Sep 10
From a national law to a UN declaration: the road so far
In short: Panama passed the world's third national Rights of Nature law in 2022, then partnered with forNature to push the idea onto the global stage. In April 2026, that effort became a formal diplomatic campaign for a UN Universal Declaration of the Rights of Nature, a non-binding but precedent-setting global standard, not a treaty. What is the Rights of Nature movement? The Rights of Nature movement holds that ecosystems and species have an inherent right to exist, thrive,
Sep 10
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