Internationalizing the Public Trust Doctrine: Natural Law and Constitutional and Statutory Approaches to Fulfilling the Saxion Vision Michael C. Blumm†* & Rachel D. Guthrie** The public trust doctrine, an ancient doctrine emanating from Roman law and inherited from England by the American states has been extended in recent years beyond its traditional role in protecting public uses of navigable waters to include new resources, like groundwater, and for new purposes, like preserving ecological function. But those state-law developments, coming slowly and haphazardly, have failed to fulfill the vision that Professor Joseph Sax sketched in his landmark article forty years ago. However, in the last two decades, several countries in South Asia, Africa, and the Western Hemisphere have discovered that the public trust doctrine is fundamental to their jurisprudence, due to natural law or to constitutional or statutory interpretation. In these twelve countries, the doctrine is likely to supply environmental protection for all natural resources, not just public access to navigable waters. This international public trust case law also incorporates principles of precaution, sustainable development, and intergenerational equity; accords plaintiffs liberalized public standing; and reflects a judicial willingness to oversee complex remedies. These developments make the non-U.S. public trust †

Copyright © 2012 Michael C. Blumm and Rachel D. Guthrie. Jeffrey Bain Faculty Scholar & Professor of Law, Lewis and Clark Law School. Some of the spelling and punctuation from foreign constitutions and statutes has been edited for clarity. This Article is dedicated to Professor Joe Sax, who has been an inspiration in and out of the legal academy for generations of teachers, students, and lawmakers; and to Professor Hap Dunning, whose 1980 symposium this one commemorates, and who probably saved Mono Lake from ecological destruction. Please direct comments to [email protected] ** J.D. Candidate 2012, Lewis and Clark Law School. *

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case law a much better reflection of Professor Sax’s vision of the doctrine than the case law of the American states. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ................................................................................... 745 I. PROFESSOR SAX’S VISION OF THE PUBLIC TRUST DOCTRINE ...... 750 II. THE PIONEERING MONO LAKE DECISION................................... 756 III. THE INTERNATIONALIZATION OF THE PUBLIC TRUST DOCTRINE ................................................................................ 760 A. The Public Trust Doctrine in Southeast Asia and the Pacific ............................................................................... 760 1. India: Natural Law Origins and Constitutional Entrenchment ............................................................. 760 a. Origins and Basis .................................................. 760 b. Scope ..................................................................... 763 c. Purposes ................................................................ 764 d. Public Standing ..................................................... 765 e. Remedies ............................................................... 765 2. Pakistan: Original Jurisdiction in the Supreme Court........................................................................... 766 a. Origins and Basis .................................................. 766 b. Scope ..................................................................... 768 c. Purposes ................................................................ 769 d. Public Standing ..................................................... 769 e. Remedies ............................................................... 769 3. Philippines: Cleaning Up Manila Bay ........................ 770 a. Origins and Basis .................................................. 770 b. Scope ...............................................