THE CONCEPT OF RIGHTS OF NATURE IN THE BIAŁOWIEŻA FOREST: FROM ‘WHETHER?’ TO ‘HOW?’
Identification
- Public canonical key
- doi:10.31338/2544-3135.si.2025-109.6
- Authors
- Maciej Perkowski · Wojciech Zoń
- Reported year
- 2026
- Reported language
- en
- Source type
- article
- First detected
- 2026-11-09T19:04:47.903863+00:00
- Last metadata observation
- 2026-11-10T16:58:51.416402+00:00
- Last HTTP verification
- Not checked
Documentary abstract — original language
This article examines the potential application of the Rights of Nature (RoN) concept to the protection of the Białowieża Forest, a unique transboundary ecosystem of exceptional natural and cultural significance. The complexity of managing this area stems from multiple overlapping legal protection regimes, conflicts of interest involving local communities, and the intricate Polish-Belarusian relations. The authors highlight that existing legal frameworks, grounded in an anthropocentric paradigm, have proven insufficient to ensure effective protection of the Forest as an ecological whole. The study explores the prospective benefits of conferring legal subjectivity upon the Białowieża Forest, thereby enabling judicial protection of nature as an autonomous legal entity. International precedents such as the Ecuadorian and Bolivian constitutional recognition of nature’s rights, and the New Zealand model granting legal personality to natural features, are analysed alongside the challenges of implementing RoN within the Polish and Belarusian legal and socio-political contexts. Particular attention is given to the necessity of tailoring solutions to local conditions, as well as to issues concerning financing and legal liability. Furthermore, the article addresses the tensions between nature conservation and economic activities, including forestry and tourism, which could be exacerbated by granting rights to the Forest. The transboundary nature of the Białowieża Forest and the current geopolitical climate further complicate cooperative management efforts. The authors propose considering the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) as a potential organisational instrument to facilitate cross-border governance and optimise existing protection frameworks. In conclusion, the article stresses that effective conservation of the Białowieża Forest requires balancing the interests of all stakeholders and achieving compromises. It calls for further legal and social research, including comparative studies and engagement with local communities, to inform legislative reforms.
Identifiers
- OPENALEX
- W7167911240
- DOI
- 10.31338/2544-3135.si.2025-109.6
- OPENAIRE
- doi_________::5c2404fb8449969c9bcbcaad1a92d250
Documentary context
- Documentary family
- Scholarship
- Source-reported types
- Article · article
- Jurisdictions studied — explicit sources
- NZ
- Natural entities mentioned
- Forest · Ecosystem · Territory
Entity mentions are not evidence of legal recognition. Jurisdiction studied is separate from author affiliation country.
Sources
OpenAIRE · Record 1
OpenAlex · Record 1 · Record 2
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:w1999806391 · CITES
- openalex:w2067510282 · CITES
- openalex:w2153970799 · CITES
- Creating legal rights for rivers: Lessons from Australia, New Zealand, and India · CITES
- openalex:w2966361597 · CITES
- Decolonizing Law and expanding Human Rights: Indigenous Conceptions and the Rights of Nature in Ecuador · CITES
- openalex:w3186249277 · CITES
- openalex:w3206589431 · CITES
- Understanding the Rights of Nature: A Critical Introduction · CITES
- openalex:w4220917759 · CITES
- openalex:w4251726741 · CITES
- The rights of nature and the human right to nature: an overview of the European legal system and challenges for the ecological transition · CITES
- Przyroda i jej elementy. Przedmiot ochrony prawnej czy podmioty prawa? · CITES
- Nowa dogmatyka Konstytucji Republiki Ekwadoru. Casus praw natury · CITES
- openalex:w4388669998 · CITES
- openalex:w4389923682 · CITES
- openalex:w6946143950 · CITES
0 incoming references within the detected corpus
Documentary field provenance
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- Publication
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- Authors
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- Document type
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- Jurisdiction
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- Issuing authority
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- DOI
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- Not recorded
- Official identifier
- Not recorded
- Source URL
- Documentary source reported
- Source-reported status
- Not recorded
- Amendment / repeal
- Not recorded
Cite this reference
Maciej Perkowski; Wojciech Zoń. THE CONCEPT OF RIGHTS OF NATURE IN THE BIAŁOWIEŻA FOREST: FROM ‘WHETHER?’ TO ‘HOW?’. 2026. https://doi.org/10.31338/2544-3135.si.2025-109.6
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APA, Chicago, ISO 690: bibliographic formats using available fields. OSCOLA / Bluebook: structured data only; full legal citation compliance is not claimed without verification of required elements.
- APA
- Maciej Perkowski; Wojciech Zoń. (2026). THE CONCEPT OF RIGHTS OF NATURE IN THE BIAŁOWIEŻA FOREST: FROM ‘WHETHER?’ TO ‘HOW?’. https://doi.org/10.31338/2544-3135.si.2025-109.6
- Chicago
- Maciej Perkowski; Wojciech Zoń. THE CONCEPT OF RIGHTS OF NATURE IN THE BIAŁOWIEŻA FOREST: FROM ‘WHETHER?’ TO ‘HOW?’. 2026. https://doi.org/10.31338/2544-3135.si.2025-109.6
- ISO 690
- Maciej Perkowski; Wojciech Zoń. THE CONCEPT OF RIGHTS OF NATURE IN THE BIAŁOWIEŻA FOREST: FROM ‘WHETHER?’ TO ‘HOW?’. 2026. https://doi.org/10.31338/2544-3135.si.2025-109.6
UDTR Global Rights of Nature Legal Library. THE CONCEPT OF RIGHTS OF NATURE IN THE BIAŁOWIEŻA FOREST: FROM ‘WHETHER?’ TO ‘HOW?’. Documentary record: https://www.declarationuniverselledesdroitsdelarbre.org/global-rights-of-nature-radar/reference/r-6bde7db6f318ffe44e000a507ffce4d4/ · Last HTTP verification: not performed
Field provenance and record version
Version 23b88c5e9a76e994 · udtr-reference-1.1.2
- Title
- OpenAIRE · source · 2026-11-09T19:06:44.931223+00:00
OpenAlex · source · 2026-11-10T16:58:51.416402+00:00 - Authors
- OpenAIRE · source · 2026-11-09T19:06:44.931223+00:00
OpenAlex · source · 2026-11-10T16:58:51.416402+00:00
Multiple reported values; disagreement retained. - Year
- OpenAIRE · source · 2026-11-09T19:06:44.931223+00:00
OpenAlex · source · 2026-11-10T16:58:51.416402+00:00 - Identifiers
- OpenAIRE · source · 2026-11-09T19:06:44.931223+00:00
OpenAlex · source · 2026-11-10T16:58:51.416402+00:00
Multiple reported values; disagreement retained. - Source URL
- OpenAIRE · source · 2026-11-09T19:06:44.931223+00:00
OpenAlex · source · 2026-11-10T16:58:51.416402+00:00 - Source-reported author ORCID
- OpenAlex · source · 2026-11-10T16:58:51.416402+00:00
OpenAlex · source · 2026-11-10T16:58:51.416402+00:00
History tracks record metadata and does not certify the state of the law.
4b0348a112ec3f03 · 2026-11-09T19:06:44.931223+00:00
f9d235f200d68e1e · 2026-11-09T19:06:44.931223+00:00
3223e5871e3afa40 · 2026-11-09T19:06:44.931223+00:00
e0bc60b924c7b75a · 2026-11-10T16:58:51.416402+00:00
23b88c5e9a76e994 · 2026-11-10T16:58:51.416402+00:00
Research dossiers and documentary relations
NZ ·
Source roles
Discovery source · https://doi.org/10.31338/2544-3135.si.2025-109.6
Discovery source · https://openalex.org/W7167911240
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Documentary status
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Library
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