Rights for Nature
We are European citizens uniting to give nature stronger legal protection through a European Citizens Initiative (ECI) for Rights of Nature. We draw inspiration from diverse sources, including Indigenous cultures worldwide and Europe’s own traditions of environmental reverence.
Our goal: one million signatures in Europe
We are European citizens uniting to call on the EU to recognise ecosystems as rights-holders rather than property. With one million signatures, we can bring this demand before the European Commission and shift the foundation of Europe’s environmental law.
Why This Matters
We’ve all seen it: a river running dry, a forest felled overnight, a coastline swallowed by algae. And we’ve felt the frustration of knowing that there is little we can do to prevent it because nature has no rights. It is property. It can be owned, sold, and destroyed, as long as the paperwork is in order and authorities are reluctant to act.
But what if that could change? In Spain, the Mar Menor lagoon already holds its own legal rights. In New Zealand, the Whanganui River is recognised as a legal person. In both places, ordinary citizens can now stand up in court, not for themselves, but for the ecosystem itself.
We want to bring that same shift to Europe, using the most powerful transnational tool for bringing our proposal to the decision makers in Brussels: a European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI), which obliges the EU to act when one million people speak with one voice.
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Who we are
A movement of European citizens - for nature and for democracy
We are citizens from across the EU – lawyers who have argued for the rights of rivers in court, activists who brought a nature rights bill before the Polish parliament, campaigners who helped turn the Mar Menor lagoon into a legal person under Spanish law. We come from different countries and different traditions, but we share a conviction: that nature deserves better than the law currently gives it.
Rights for Nature is our tool. By collecting one million signatures across EU member states, we are calling on the European Commission to establish a legal framework that recognises ecosystems as rights-holders – shifting the foundation of European law from treating nature as property to treating it as a partner. It is a change grounded in democratic principles, built on legal precedent, and driven by citizens who believe we can build a common future with nature, not at its expense.
Your Voice Matters
What supporters of the initiative say – add your thoughts!
Supporting Organisations
Are you a member of a civil society organisation or initiative and think your group should join our alliance?
Write to join@rightsfornature.eu!
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