Rethinking how the Yukon River is protected
Bathsheba Demuth will explore whether legal personhood could offer a new approach to protecting the Yukon River, where steep declines in salmon populations are threatening ecosystems and the Indigenous communities that have long depended on them.
Rethinking how the Yukon River is protected
Bathsheba Demuth will explore whether legal personhood could offer a new approach to protecting the Yukon River, where steep declines in salmon populations are threatening ecosystems and the Indigenous communities that have long depended on them.
Dean's Associate Professor of Environment and Society & History Bathsheba Demuth will explore whether legal personhood could offer a new approach to protecting the Yukon River, where steep declines in salmon populations are threatening ecosystems and the Indigenous communities that have long depended on them.
About the IBES Catalyst Research Awards
These annual awards provide funding for faculty-led, solutions-driven environmental research that crosses disciplines and has the potential for meaningful societal impact.
In partnership with three Indigenous-led organizations, Demuth will bring together young leaders from across the U.S.-Canada watershed for a three-day gathering focused on Indigenous and colonial law, environmental policy, and the emerging practice of granting ecosystems legal rights. The project builds on Demuth’s historical research and years of conversations with Yukon River communities, whose residents have called for greater connection across political boundaries. By bringing together community knowledge, historical research and legal expertise, the project will explore new approaches to environmental governance while building relationships and skills among the next generation of Yukon River leaders.
I'm excited to see the ways my historical research and future-oriented community organizing meet with this project. It's a great opportunity to bridge generations and the kinds of knowledge held in the academy and by Yukon River communities and practices.
