Redefining Our Relationship with the Planet
We are community members of Santa Cruz County working to positively influence our home and our planet.
Who are we?
Rights of Nature is a growing legal and cultural movement that recognizes ecosystems — like rivers, forests, and oceans — as living entities with inherent rights to exist, thrive, and regenerate. Instead of treating nature solely as property, this framework gives communities a legal tool to defend the natural world when it’s harmed. By aligning law with ecological reality, Rights of Nature helps restore balance between human activity and the Earth’s living systems.
What is Rights of Nature?
Our goal is to support Santa Cruz and surrounding communities in adopting Rights of Nature policies that close critical gaps in environmental protection, stand strong in the face of legal challenge, and uplift the well-being of people and future generations.
We aim to learn from those who came before us and build on the movement to inspire communities across California to realign human activity with the living systems that sustain us all.
