The Center for Life Sciences Law (ZLSR) is a university center dedicated to the interactions between the set of norms and technological and social transformation processes. At the same time, the ZLSR is a forum for interdisciplinary exchange between researchers from different fields of law and experts in the life sciences.

ORF Podcast on oe1 "Rights of Nature"
Design: Juliane Nagiller with the collaboration of Prof. Dr. Nils Schaks
An ORF in-house production, broadcast on Ö1 on Mai 27, 2025

In 2017, New Zealand was one of the first countries in the world to recognize the Whanganui River as a legal entity, thereby granting it rights. The Canadian Rivière Magpie and the Spanish Sallagune Mar Menor now also have "person status". More than 50 years ago, Christopher D. Stone raised the question of whether forests and rivers should be granted rights. As long as nature had no rights, we would regard it as something that had to serve us, argued the US law professor. Until now, the image of nature as a subject of rights has been anchored primarily in the indigenous world view and is in conflict with the western, anthropocentric view. A view that is being increasingly questioned in light of the climate and biodiversity crisis: What does it mean when nature is given rights? How can these be enforced? And what if rivers and forests go to court? (Source: https://sound.orf.at AI translated)

You can listen to the podcast here.