Rights of nature and the protection of Antarctica's intrinsic value: seeking inspirations from discourses in international environmental law and policy

Despite the explicit recognition of Antarctica's intrinsic value in the Environmental Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty, the value is barely reflected in environmental protection measures and policies adopted under the Protocol. Little discussion has also been conducted towards the meaning and interpretation of the intrinsic value of Antarctica. Without examining the latter in detail, this article rather takes these deficiencies as a point of departure and seeks to explore the potential of Rights of Nature (RoN) initiatives to strengthen the recognition of Antarctica's intrinsic value and possibly promote its protection. In doing so, it focuses on the conceptual linkages and interconnections between RoN approaches and intrinsic value. Drawing on various international initiatives, including the Antarctica Declaration, the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth and the Universal Declaration of Oceans Rights, we argue that such efforts, which aim to recognise both the intrinsic value and legal standing of nature, provide a theoretical background from which the recognition and the legal protection of Antarctica's intrinsic value can similarly be enhanced.