Nature and Property: A Riparian Law Perspective
I. Introduction
This Article will characterize how one area of property law, title rules for coastal and riverfront property, represents particular views of nature. In doing so it will examine how the law in this area defines the line between natural and non-natural. What does "natural" mean in riparian law? How do humans fit into that picture? In what ways do differing ideas of "nature" inform property rights? Does property law reflect any coherent notion or ethic of nature, or deliberately invoke a particular notion of nature to justify its institutions?