Recent cartography by Alex Putzer, John Cook, and Ben Pollock puts the movement on the map. Several charts provide a timeline of proposed, accepted, rejected, and overturned proposals. Most implementations (30 percent) have been at the local level, while 15 percent are international. Just two percent of these initiatives are indigenous, and another two percent exist within the constitutions of countries. The United States leads the way with 72 initiates, followed by Brazil who recognizes 18 such projects. Most proposals cover “all of nature,” while a focus on marine and freshwater accounts for 21 percent of proposals. Another 10 percent goes to animals. Data for this map comes from the Eco Jurisprudence Monitor, and the visuals were developed by Climate Cartographics.
A well-designed infographic presents the data in a clear and pleasing way, with supplemental information and explanations sprinkled throughout. More importantly though, it brings to the fore an idea that is both novel to most and gaining ground around the world. The authority of each initiative varies, and how governments navigate these policies is likely to give rise to ongoing discussions. But these discussions refocus how humans and landscapes have and should co-exist. Just as they have for millennia in the past and can do so for millennia in the future.
More to Explore
- Explore an interactive map of endemic species.
- Learn how and where humans impact the landscape through the built environment.
- Read about the ways people influence the oceans and marine ecosystems.
