Experts in England and Wales have concluded that granting legal rights to non-human entities, such as animals, trees and rivers, would help tackle climate change and the loss of biodiversity, according to a report published Monday by the Law Society. The report suggested that introducing legal protections would create a link between the damage to the environment and the person or body who caused it.

The Law Society, the professional body for solicitors in England and Wales, conducted research into the “Law in the Emerging Bio Age,” exploring the relationship between humans and living systems as well as mapping the changes caused by these connections. The subsequent report concluded that the evolution of this relationship demands new regulations, including rights for nonhumans.

Dr. Wendy Schultz and Dr. Trish O’Flynn, authors of the report, outlined how “widespread adoption of rights for nonhuman life forms would radically change the legal and ethical balance between humans and living systems.” The report highlighted that the approach taken in nonhuman rights protection is likely to “differ radically” from that of human rights protection. That said, the report asserted doing so would raise necessary questions regarding liability for environmental damage as well as compensation for the damage. The report also discussed how our understanding of biotechnology continues to evolve. The report reasoned law and ethics could help us “compensate for past damage to the global ecosystem.”

The report concluded with a section titled “Starting discussions and inciting insight,” which encouraged readers to explore their ideas further and create a discussion about these issues within the legal world.