Can Trees Be Legal Persons? Reimagining Environmental Law in India

Legal Personhood is a concept which developed as a part of a principle called ‘Rights to Nature’. This is a legal construct that challenges the anthropocentric belief that humans are the most important beings on this planet and that natural resources should be protected because they benefit humans. But on the contrary, the concept of legal personhood is based on ecocentrism and says that trees, animals, rivers and other entities of nature should be protected regardless of their benefits to man because they have their own inherent rights. If this approach is implemented religiously, then it could bring an evolution in the Environmental Laws. If trees are legal persons, then falling of trees would become a violation of rights. The marginalized tribes, whose lives depend on forests can approach the court representing the trees, ensuring both environmental and human justice.