Post by Kiwi Frontline on Jun 20, 2021 3:49:11 GMT 12
CAN THE MĀORI CONNECTION TO ANTARCTICA HELP SAFEGUARD THE CONTINENT’S FUTURE?
The team’s proposals include exploring legal personhood for the continent; over the last decade, as part of an effort to protect and preserve, New Zealand has granted legal personhood status to the Whanganui River, Mount Taranaki, and other culturally significant and environmentally threatened natural features within its borders. The designation means that appointed guardians, including local Māori communities, have legal authority to act in the entity’s best interests, including restricting development and other commercial use. Securing the same status for Antarctica, which does not legally belong to any nation, would represent a much bigger challenge.
While a campaign for legal personhood for the continent remains theoretical, Wehi and her colleagues hope their call to reframe how Antarctica is seen by the global community will inform future policies. The Antarctic Treaty first signed in 1959 will likely be reviewed around 2050, and other protections, such as proposed or expanded restrictions on fishing and other activities, continue to be put forth.
The team behind the commentary believes the key to safeguarding Antarctica lies in seeing it through the lens of Indigenous values, such as the Māori concept of kaitiakitanga, a kind of stewardship that “represents one way in which human-human and human-environment relationships and responsibilities are negotiated and regulated,” says coauthor Krushil Watene, philosopher and associate professor at Auckland’s Massey University......
www.atlasobscura.com/articles/maori-polynesian-antarctica-history-conservation
The team’s proposals include exploring legal personhood for the continent; over the last decade, as part of an effort to protect and preserve, New Zealand has granted legal personhood status to the Whanganui River, Mount Taranaki, and other culturally significant and environmentally threatened natural features within its borders. The designation means that appointed guardians, including local Māori communities, have legal authority to act in the entity’s best interests, including restricting development and other commercial use. Securing the same status for Antarctica, which does not legally belong to any nation, would represent a much bigger challenge.
While a campaign for legal personhood for the continent remains theoretical, Wehi and her colleagues hope their call to reframe how Antarctica is seen by the global community will inform future policies. The Antarctic Treaty first signed in 1959 will likely be reviewed around 2050, and other protections, such as proposed or expanded restrictions on fishing and other activities, continue to be put forth.
The team behind the commentary believes the key to safeguarding Antarctica lies in seeing it through the lens of Indigenous values, such as the Māori concept of kaitiakitanga, a kind of stewardship that “represents one way in which human-human and human-environment relationships and responsibilities are negotiated and regulated,” says coauthor Krushil Watene, philosopher and associate professor at Auckland’s Massey University......
www.atlasobscura.com/articles/maori-polynesian-antarctica-history-conservation