3 November 2014: The eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) opened in Quito, Ecuador, with a High-Level Ministerial Panel on ‘Uniting the Rights of Nature and the Green Economy: Finding Solutions to Protecting International Wildlife.’

The High-Level Ministerial Panel focused on reconciling the conflicting philosophies of the “green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication” with the “rights of nature.” The panel was moderated by Philippe Cousteau. Lorena Tapia, Minister of Environment, Ecuador, noted that Ecuador was the first country in the world to include in its national constitution the “rights of nature,” an approach that considers humans and nature as equal members of an integral system of life.

Underscoring that this was the first high-level segment at a CMS COP, Bradnee Chambers, CMS Executive Secretary, discussed the context of each approach for protecting migratory species, whether through “green economy” initiatives such as ecotourism, or through the “rights of nature” protections for “unique and beautiful” migratory species whose biodiversity functions and economic values are not known or determinable.

John Scanlon, Secretary-General, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) wondered whether attributing rights to nature may produce a controversy between those and rights of humans. He underscored the importance of the compliance mechanism under CITES to hold governments and people accountable for their actions, and noted the lack of similar mechanisms in other processes. Minister Tapia concluded the panel by acknowledging all the work done to demonstrate the importance of assigning rights to nature.

The Panel was facilitated by Dr. Steven Stone, Head of the UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Economy and Trade Branch, and Dr. Cormac Cullinan, a lawyer specializing in the rights of nature. [IISD RS Coverage of CMS COP11] [CMS Press Release]