Legal or constitutional recognition that natural features such as rivers or forests have rights or legal personality, normally exercised through human guardians or representatives.
In more detail
Approaches vary. In New Zealand, Te Urewera (2014) and the Whanganui River (2017) were declared legal entities by statute within Treaty of Waitangi settlements, with guardian bodies acting for them. Elsewhere, courts have created such status, as in India, where one such ruling faced appeal. O'Donnell and Talbot-Jones argue that results depend on enforceability, funding and institutional independence, not on the label itself.