UDTR Global Rights of Nature Radar

Should trees have legal standing?: Strengthening the relationship between law and ecology

Identification

Public canonical key

doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1489/1/012061

Authors

Joice Soraya · Fathul Hamdani · Ana Fauzia

Reported year

2025

Reported language

en

Source type

conference-paper

First detected

2026-11-09T19:12:33.168071+00:00

Last metadata observation

2026-11-09T19:12:33.168071+00:00

Last HTTP verification

Not checked

Institutions reported by the source

Universitas Airlangga · Universitas Dr. Soetomo · Universitas Wisnuwardhana Malang

Documentary abstract — original language

Abstract In recent decades, environmental concerns have increased as the impacts of climate change and deforestation have become more apparent. In response, some environmental activists and legal experts have raised a controversial question: should trees, or other natural elements, have legal standing? Legal standing refers to the right to file a lawsuit in court. The purpose of this research is to examine the legal reasoning for legal standing of trees in Indonesia, and to examine the concept of granting legal standing to trees to strengthen the relationship between law and ecology. This research uses an interdisciplinary legal research method. The results show that the concept of granting legal standing to non-human entities was first proposed by Christopher D. Stone in his famous 1972 essay, “Should Trees Have Standing?”. Stone argued that nature should be given the right to be represented in court, allowing suits to be brought on behalf of nature against environmental destruction. This idea, though radical in its day, has inspired legal movements around the world. The legal reasoning for the importance of legal standing for trees is for stronger environmental protection based on legal certainty, justice, and expediency, preventing climate change that impacts the concept of utilitarianism, and providing intergenerational justice to realize the ideals of the nation contained in the preamble of the 1945 Constitution. Although there are significant challenges in its implementation, this approach offers a new path to sustainability and environmental justice. In the face of the global environmental crisis, this idea is worth considering as part of a comprehensive solution to safeguard our planet for future generations.

Identifiers

OPENALEX

W4410122929

DOI

10.1088/1755-1315/1489/1/012061

Documentary context

Documentary family

Conference paper / proceedings

Source-reported types

conference-paper

Jurisdictions studied — explicit sources

ID

Entity mentions are not evidence of legal recognition. Jurisdiction studied is separate from author affiliation country.

Sources

OpenAlex · Record 1 · Record 2

• DOI · https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1489/1/012061
• OpenAlex · https://openalex.org/W4410122929

Documented bibliographic relations

Source-declared references and links; they do not establish legal support or UGLC qualification. Up to 20 outgoing references are displayed.

• openalex:w1588553539 · CITES
• openalex:w2148464765 · CITES
• New Transitions from Human Rights to the Environment to the Rights of Nature · CITES
• openalex:w2891042091 · CITES
• Rights of nature, legal personality, and indigenous philosophies · CITES
• openalex:w4206909560 · CITES
• Ecocentric Living: A Way Forward Towards Zero Carbon: A Conversation about Indigenous Law and Leadership Based on Custodianship and Praxis · CITES

3 incoming references within the detected corpus

Documentary status

Relevance pending

Library

This identity is not yet included in the Legal Library.