Linhares, Brazil, a world-renowned surf destination, has legally recognized its prized waves as living beings, granting them the inherent right to exist, continue to form naturally, and be restored. Photo by Octavio Campos Salles/Alamy Stock Photo
Environment BrazilMilestone Protection for Ocean Waves
Brazil has become the first nation to grant legal personhood to part of an ocean, ensuring greater protection for marine life.
“When you recognize a little bit of space of the ocean, like these waves, you are reaching the whole ocean,” says Vanessa Hasson, an environmental lawyer and executive director of the Brazilian NGO Mapas.
Waves at the mouth of the Doce River, which runs into Brazil’s Atlantic coast, have been legally recognized as living beings, granting it the intrinsic right of existence, regeneration, and restoration. The waves now have representatives who will act as their voice in public policy decision-making. More and more governments are recognizing that the natural world has an intrinsic right to exist and be defended – from New Zealand to Bangladesh to Ecuador, nations are taking steps to safeguard nature. Brazil’s waves being granted legal personhood will likely start a series of steps to ensure we are protecting our only planet, Earth.
