Wild Law Second Edition

"This book of Cormac Cullinan explains with great clarity how we can change our entire approach to governance so that we can continue life on a liveable planet. In its basic outlines this book is one of the finest contributions to the entire field of jurisprudence in recent times."
— Thomas Berry, author of The Dream of the Earth, The Universe Story and The Great Work.

"Wild law is to law what quantum physics is to physics"
— Alessandro Pelizzon, Earth Law, Australia

"Every now and then, an idea emerges that helps the human species to evolve. Wild Law is one such idea and is brilliantly explained in this book of the same title. Cormac Cullinan leads us toward a new relationship with Mother Earth – just in time."
— Maude Barlow, President of the Council of Canadians, Senior Advisor on Water to the 63rd President of the UN General Assembly, and author of Blue Covenant, The Global Water Crisis and The Coming Battle for the Right to Water.

"Even in an age that feels itself to be enlightened and humane, and condemns cruelty to animals, and claims to take 'the environment' seriously, the idea of 'Wild Law' still seems, to many, to be bizarre. How can wild creatures, or landscapes, be granted the same kind of respect – the same rights – in law, as a human being? Yet, as Cormac Cullinan argues so powerfully, the morality of this is clear, and the logic of the case seems impeccable. Indeed we should be asking, can we claim to be fully civilized in the absence of such laws?
— Colin Tudge, author of The Secret Life of Trees, Feeding People is Easy and Consider the Birds: How They Live and Why They Matter

"The arrogance of the 'civilised' world has blinded it to the wisdom of the indigenous people for too long. Cormac Cullinan's call for the indigenous voices and the wisdom of thousands of years of human experience to be heard in the heart of our governance systems is both timely and powerful. This provocative and ground-breaking book is an important milestone in the process of finding a viable ecological role for contemporary human societies."
— Martin von Hildebrand, Co-ordinator of COAMA, programme for indigenous people in Colombia, which received the Right Livelihood Award in 1999

"The governance systems of the dominant world order are leading to social, ecological, political and economical non-sustainability. Societies, ecosystems, and economies are disintegrating and breaking down, fuelling economic insecurity, eroding cultural diversity and identity. Wild Law is a stimulating, eminently readable response to our governance crisis. The survival of our species and health of the Earth family depends on our ability to transform governance systems so that humans become part of the ecological matrix of biological and cultural diversity. This book is a milestone on that path."
— Dr Vandana Shiva, International environmental activist, president of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology, and founder of Navdanya, a movement for biodiversity, conservation and farmers' rights. She is the author of numerous books, including Earth Democracy.

"This important book shows not only why we need to revise our governance systems completely, but also how to begin doing so in a way that draws inspiration from nature and from our diverse human communities."
— Professor Wangari Mathai, Nobel Peace Prize Winner 2004

"The vision that Cormac portrays for how the human species should care for the Earth is inspiring to say the least. It is so futuristic and yet so wise and based largely on such ancient principles. I was amazed by Cormac's ability to weave together so fluently and coherently his vast interdisciplinary understanding of how the world could, and should, work. Wild Law must be every serious writer's dream – so intellectually satisfying yet such an easy read."
— Rosemary Lyster, inaugural Professor of Climate and Environmental Law at the University of Sydney and Director of the Australian Centre for Climate and Environmental Law (ACCEL).

"We urgently need to rethink our legal and political systems if we are to stop environmental destruction. The radical ideas in Wild Law will give both lawyers and grass-roots activists the tools they need to start the process."
— Michael Meacher, former UK Minister for the Environment.

"We desperately need some new thinking today about systems of global governance. We're stuck with the same obsolete, ignore-the-earth institutions that were brought into being after the 2nd World War, and now they're failing us ever more catastrophically. Wild Law shows just how radical we now need to be in creating new institutions that are genuinely 'fit for purpose' in the 21st Century."
— Jonathan Porritt, Director of Forum for the Future.

1. Foreword
2. Preface
3. Part One – Rethinking governance
4. Part Two – The world as we know it
5. Part Three – Earth governance
6. Part Four – The journey into wildness
7. Part Five – The terrain ahead
8. Bibliography and references

Cormac Cullinan is a practising environmental attorney, governance expert and author based in Cape Town who has worked in many countries in Africa, Europe, North and South America, and Asia. In 2008 he was included in Planet Savers. 301 Extraordinary Environmentalists, a book that profiles leading environmentalists throughout history. He led the drafting of the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth.