Casey Camp-Horinek, an elder of the Ponca Tribe Nation and environmental advocate, has emerged as a prominent figure in the global Indigenous Rights of Nature movement, which seeks to legally recognise ecosystems as living entities. Her work emphasises the interconnectedness of humans and nature, arguing that environmental protection involves both safeguarding the planet and acknowledging humanity’s integral role within it.

Camp-Horinek played a key role in the Ponca Nation of Oklahoma becoming the first U.S. tribe to formally recognise the Rights of Nature in its tribal law in 2017. This landmark legal framework granted ecosystems legal rights and protections independently of human interests. Building on this, the tribe introduced an Immutable Rights of Rivers statute in 2022, further strengthening environmental protections within its jurisdiction.

Currently, Camp-Horinek serves as chair of the Indigenous Council of the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature and leads the board of the Indigenous-led organisation Movement Rights. Her activism draws from the Ponca community’s history of displacement and environmental harm, particularly from extensive fossil fuel extraction, pipelines, and refinery operations in their Oklahoma homeland—activities she has described as constituting "environmental genocide."

Through her leadership, Camp-Horinek is advancing Indigenous knowledge and legal principles into climate advocacy, challenging conventional environmental approaches that treat humans as separate from nature. Her work highlights the importance of integrating Indigenous perspectives into contemporary environmental policies and legal frameworks worldwide.