InSharingTerritories,CaraNinedefendsarivermodelofterritorialrights.Onarivermodel,groupsareassumedtobeinterdependentandoverlapping.Ifweimaginehumansettlementsandterritorialrightsasestablishedinrivercatchmentareas-notonlandswithwallsandborders-theprimaryfeaturesofgrouplifearenotindependenceanddistinctness.Drawingonnaturallawphilosophy,Nine’stheoryarguesfortheestablishmentoffoundationalterritoriesaroundgeographicalareaslikerivers.Usuallylower-scalepoliticalentities,foundationalterritoriesoverlapwithandserveasthegroundingblocksoflargerterritorialunits.Examplesoffoundationalterritoriesincludenotonlyrivercatchmentareasbutalsourbanareas,drawnaroundindividualswhoholdobligationstocollectivelymanagetheirsurroundings.Foundationalterritorialauthoritiesmanagespatiallyintegratedareaswhereagentsareinterconnectedbydenseandscaffoldedphysicalcircumstances.Intheseareas,individualscannotfulfiltheirnaturalobligationstoeachotherwithoutthehelpofcollectiverules.Asfoundationalterritoriesoverlaptheterritoriesofotherpoliticalunits,Nineframesatheoryofnestedandsharedterritorialrights,andarguesforinsightfulchangestotheallocationofresourcerightsbetweenpoliticalgroupsandindividuals.
