Public Environmental Trust Proposals for Good Governance of Natural Resources
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Abstract
This research article aimed to: (1) examine the conceptual and legal constraints in state governance of natural resources that contribute to policy-related corruption, and (2) propose principles of a public environmental trust to enhance oversight of state authority through judicial mechanisms. The study employed a doctrinal research methodology. The findings revealed that: (1) the conceptual problem of claiming rights over natural resources stems from the interpretation by authoritarian thinkers based on the principle of territorial sovereignty under imperialist frameworks. When applied to environmental and natural resource law, this principle leads government agencies to treat themselves as owners of resources, granting them absolute rights to utilize resources similarly to private property ownership. As de facto owners, they are not held accountable for damages and their discretion cannot be effectively monitored, creating a high risk of policy-related corruption; and (2) the researcher proposed the principle of a 'public environmental trust' to strengthen oversight of discretionary powers exercised by statutory committees, based on the principle of ‘liability for public environmental benefits,’ thereby enhancing accountability and protection of public environmental interests.
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