Introduction: On Nature and Property

The essays presented in this section start with an essential premise: the ideas we employ to characterize our interactions with the outside world are not neutral. Since ‘nature’ and ‘property’ are abstract concepts and mental constructions, every attempt at individualization should consider historical and geographical factors. Through a combination of empirical, historical, and theoretical approaches, the authors of this special issue examine the differing ideas of how ‘nature’ informs property rights and the impact that legal, economic, or political choices have on the ethics of nature. Bringing together a diverse spectrum of disciplinary, geographic, and ideological perspectives, this special issue seeks to provide a sophisticated, interdisciplinary analysis of the rules that govern people’s access to and control over land and its natural resources to confront governance today in addressing unprecedented global crises related to climate change