Legal personhood and the rights of nature: bridging relational Buddhist worldviews and Sri Lankan law

The concept of relationality embraces the interconnectedness between what are seen as separate categories (e.g. human and non-human), and emplaces the human being within a wider network of related beings. Consequently, it encourages the protection of nature for the more-than-instrumental values that they hold. The relationship between the Sinhalese Buddhists in Sri Lanka and the natural environment serves as a compelling illustration of how relationality is embraced and practiced in interactions with nature. However, the current environmental legal framework in Sri Lanka, shaped by Western colonial influence, ignores these relational values and regards nature merely as an object, property, or instrument for human exploitation. The emerging notion of recognising legal personhood and the rights of nature offers an alternative to anthropocentric environmental protection laws. Examples of acknowledging legal personhood and the rights of nature globally often reflect the influence of pluralistic relational worldviews, such as Indigenous perspectives and religious understandings. Within this context, this research addresses the overarching question: How can recognising legal personhood and the rights of nature bridge the gap between the relational realities observed by Sinhalese Buddhists and the prevailing anthropocentric environmental legal regime in Sri Lanka? The research was carried out using three methodologies: black letter approach, international and comparative research, and socio-legal research. By delving into a topic that has received scant attention within Sri Lanka, it aims to make a novel contribution to the existing body of literature while furnishing guidance to law and policy makers to revise environmental protection legislation to better reflect the country’s relational realities.