The Dutch Rights of Nature Movement (2018-2025): A Historical Analysis of A Normative Transformation of Dutch Human-Nature Relationships from 2018 to Present

Globally, Rights of Nature is proposed and implemented as a potential innovative tool of biodiversity governance to curb the global biodiversity crisis. Inspired by the global movement, the Dutch Rights of Nature (RoN) movement aspires the similar goal. Analysing the pre-implementation phase of the Dutch Rights of Nature (RoN) movement, no implementation has occurred as of yet but the Dutch RoN discourse does substantially influence Dutch human-nature relations. Analysing the discourses of the Rights of the Scheldts (RoS), Rights of the North Sea (RoNo) and Rights of the Wadden Sea (RoW), the overall Dutch RoN discourse influences such human-nature relations in the Netherlands in four predominant ways, I argue. First, the discourse generally paves the way and contributes to the gradual normalisation of ecocentrism. Enabled by promoting and normalising both ecocentric thought and by ecocentric governance through RoN. Second, the discourse makes Dutch society aware of the historic and contemporary harmful role of anthropocentrism in the respective natural areas on a societal and institutional level. Third, because of the novelty of both RoN and the idea of ecocentrism, normative resistance is evident. Mainly in the discourse of the Scheldts and the Wadden Sea, where the resistance is similarly prevalent on both an institutional and societal level. Deeply entrenched anthropocentric logic, culture and systems are at the backbone of this, I argue. Moreover, the democratic and cultural value of consensus-building in Dutch governance is argued to additionally hinder in Wadden Sea governance. Last, the discourse promotes and proposes the institutionalisation of RoN to enforce and integrate more harmonious and ecocentric human-nature relations in the respective natural areas. Across the Dutch RoN discourse, legal personhood and adhering human guardianship are the main RoN form proposed to do so.