Multispecies Justice Symposium 2025

Held from 16–20 June 2025, the second Multispecies Justice Symposium brought together scholars, artists, activists and community leaders from around the world to explore how the more-than-human, or Earth others, could be meaningfully included in ethical, political and institutional decision making. The symposium took place across two venues: the Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS) on 16–17 June, and the University of Sydney on 18–20 June. Building on the first Multispecies Justice Symposium in 2019, this five-day event deepened interdisciplinary and cross-cultural conversations through workshops, roundtables and collaborative forums.

Since its inception, the concept of multispecies justice has invited and nourished expansive thinking about how we understand and enact justice within a shared and interdependent world. The 2025 symposium built on this foundation by engaging and combining two core areas of focus: one centring Indigenous and majority world knowledge systems, and the other exploring ways of including the more-than-human in decision making.

The first stream of the symposium, co-designed with the Global Tapestry of Alternatives and other participants, brought together around 30 Indigenous and nature-based participants and allies from South Asia, South America, North America, East Asia, the Pacific, the African continent, Aotearoa and Australia for a dedicated gathering in Sydney. Participants shared knowledge and experiences, engaged in collaborative dialogue and took part in two cross-cutting forums open to the broader symposium and practice. This initiative aimed to foster sustained relationships and co-learning across geographies, movements and disciplines. The gathering was co-designed with Indigenous and non-Indigenous partners to support respectful and relational approaches to knowledge sharing.

The second stream brought together a broad range of scholars and practitioners across disciplines, geographies and cultures to share ideas and practices of more-than-human decision making. It asked what governance systems might look like if they fully acknowledged the agency, needs and rights of Earth others. Drawing on existing experiments and theoretical frameworks, this stream explored practices emerging across environmental law, urban planning, conservation and creative or ritual forms of engagement. Participants reflected on the ethical and political challenges of building institutions and structures that include more-than-human life, and on the possibilities for collaborative experimentation across contexts. By convening interdisciplinary perspectives and lived experiences, this stream aimed to strengthen an international community of practice committed to more-than-human justice.

This event was convened by Professor Danielle Celermajer, Professor David Schlosberg and Dr Blanche Verlie.