The common heritage of animalkind
The common heritage of animalkind
The idea that certain parts of the planet should be treated as the common heritage of humankind is familiar, especially within international law. One implication of that idea is that many non-human animals count as objects of our species’ common heritage, that we all have a stake in. This paper, however, argues that animals should be seen as subjects of common heritage, and not just as objects. Recognising them as subjects means treating them as entities who have interests in common heritage spaces in their own right. The paper explores that idea specifically in relation to the ocean, which is the only home for trillions of animals, and investigates how it might transform the governance of the blue part of our planet.
Ocean, animals, common heritage, democracy, international law
Armstrong, Chris
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Armstrong, Chris
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Abstract
The idea that certain parts of the planet should be treated as the common heritage of humankind is familiar, especially within international law. One implication of that idea is that many non-human animals count as objects of our species’ common heritage, that we all have a stake in. This paper, however, argues that animals should be seen as subjects of common heritage, and not just as objects. Recognising them as subjects means treating them as entities who have interests in common heritage spaces in their own right. The paper explores that idea specifically in relation to the ocean, which is the only home for trillions of animals, and investigates how it might transform the governance of the blue part of our planet.
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The common heritage of Animalkind
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Accepted/In Press date: 26 March 2025
e-pub ahead of print date: 9 April 2025
Keywords:
Ocean, animals, common heritage, democracy, international law
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 500538
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/500538
ISSN: 0964-4016
PURE UUID: 85a76eb8-562f-4156-8def-44325867adfb
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Date deposited: 02 May 2025 17:08
Last modified: 30 Aug 2025 01:41
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