If you’ve been on the internet for a any length of time you’ve probably read the meme about the tree that owns itself. This delightful story may actually hold some guidance for how we should treat nature in the future. There’s a growing movement to assign Rights of Nature laws could change how we interact with it.

The idea is that by given natural landmarks and locations their own rights and entitlements then it would make it harder for people to abuse them as well as change the perception that most people have about nature. As less of something to be consumed and more as something that has the right to exist for itself.

Seeing nature as something that should exist, for it’s own self and not just human use could go a long way to changing people’s perception and empathy for the natural world.