The Cause
Nature keeps us alive. It filters our water, stabilises our climate, and sustains the food we eat. Yet under European law, it has no rights, it cannot be represented, and it cannot defend itself. Rights for Nature is the legal idea that changes that. We are officially registered with the european commission.
Companies have legal rights. Rivers do not. That is not a law of nature, it is a choice. And choices can be changed.
Stand up for nature
For too long, we’ve treated nature as property – something we own, use, and exploit. But nature isn’t just scenery or resources. It’s our life support system, our home, our partner in survival.
Across Europe, rivers are dying, forests are disappearing, and ecosystems are collapsing. The old legal frameworks aren’t enough because they treat nature as an object without a voice. But what if rivers could defend themselves in court? What if forests had legal representatives? What if the people who live alongside these ecosystems could stand up for them?
In Spain, 700,000 people gave the Mar Menor lagoon its own legal rights. In New Zealand, the Whanganui River is a legal person. In Ecuador, nature has constitutional rights.
Now it’s Europe’s turn. With one million signatures, we can demand that the EU recognize Rights for Nature – giving ecosystems legal personhood and empowering citizens to be their voice.
We are the citizens making this happen and the initiative is officially registered with the european comission. Meet the movement.
Have questions about Rights for Nature or how the initiative works? Find the answers in our FAQ.
What are Rights for Nature?
The problem: nature has no legal standing
Europe has strong environmental laws. Yet ecosystems are still being degraded. Part of the reason is structural: under current law, nature has no legal standing of its own. It cannot be represented in court. When its health is at stake, the burden falls on public authorities — and enforcement depends on political will, institutional capacity, and clear lines of responsibility that do not always exist. Rights of Nature addresses the gap that regulations alone cannot close.
The idea: legal personhood for ecosystems
Rights of Nature gives ecosystems a legal identity of their own – the right to exist, to remain healthy, and to be restored when damaged. It is not a new concept in law: companies, trusts, and public institutions are all legal persons that can hold rights and be represented in court. Rights of Nature extends that same logic to the natural world. A designated guardian – a citizens’ committee, a public body, or a recognised organisation – can act on behalf of an ecosystem, just as a trustee acts on behalf of a beneficiary.
The shift: from managing harm to protecting life
Current environmental law asks: how much damage is permissible? Rights of Nature law asks: what does this ecosystem need in order to thrive? That change in question leads to a change in everything else – who can bring a case, what counts as harm, and what protection actually means in practice.
It's already happening
The Mar Menor lagoon in Murcia, Spain, is the first ecosystem in Europe to hold its own legal rights. In 2022, following a campaign backed by over 600,000 citizen signatures, the Spanish parliament recognised the lagoon as a legal entity with the right to exist, to be protected, and to be restored. The lagoon had suffered severe ecological collapse caused by agricultural runoff – a crisis that existing environmental law had failed to prevent. Its new legal status means that citizens can now take legal action on its behalf if its rights are violated. Mar Menor is proof that Rights of Nature can work in a European legal and democratic context.
In 2017, the Whanganui River in New Zealand became one of the first rivers in the world to be recognised as a legal person – a status it holds under the Te Awa Tupua Act. The recognition followed decades of advocacy by the Whanganui Iwi (Māori people), for whom the river is an ancestor: “I am the river, and the river is me.” The river is now represented by two permanent guardians – one appointed by the Māori community, one by the Crown – who act on its behalf in all legal matters. The model has become a reference point for Rights of Nature movements around the world.
Ecuador was the first country in the world to enshrine Rights of Nature in its national constitution, in 2008. The relevant articles – drafted with input from Indigenous communities who have long held relational rather than extractive relationships with the natural world – recognise that nature, or Pachamama, has the right to integral respect for its existence and for the maintenance and regeneration of its life cycles, structure, functions, and evolutionary processes. Those rights have since been invoked in court to halt destructive development projects and to protect river ecosystems from mining activity.
Why Europe, why now?
Europe’s ecosystems cannot wait
The Baltic Sea is one of the most polluted enclosed seas in the world — decades of agricultural runoff, industrial discharge, and overfishing have left vast dead zones where little can live. The Rhine, the Danube, and the Oder carry the chemical residue of a continent’s industry to the sea. The Mediterranean coastline is losing its biodiversity faster than scientists can document. Across Europe, freshwater species have declined by 81% since 1970.
These are not distant or abstract problems. They are the ecosystems that millions of Europeans depend on for drinking water, food, livelihoods, and the simple quality of a life lived in contact with the natural world. And they are being lost under laws that were designed to protect them.
The EU has the foundation and the gap
Europe has some of the world’s most ambitious environmental legislation: the Water Framework Directive, the Habitats Directive, the Birds Directive, the Nature Restoration Law. These are genuine achievements, and the Rights for Nature ECI does not seek to replace them. It seeks to go further.
The gap in EU environmental law is structural. All of these instruments regulate what humans may do to nature. None of them recognise nature as having interests of its own — interests that can be legally represented and enforced. Rights of Nature fills that gap. It does not contradict existing law; it gives it a stronger foundation.
The democratic moment
A European Citizens’ Initiative is one of the most direct democratic tools available at EU level. It allows citizens — not governments, not corporations, not lobbying organisations — to place a proposal formally before the European Commission. If one million people across at least seven member states sign, the Commission is legally required to respond – and we are officially registered now!
The Rights of Nature movement across Europe has already demonstrated that this kind of mobilisation is possible. In Spain alone, over 600,000 people signed for the Mar Menor. Across our partner network, more than a million signatures have been collected for Rights of Nature in various national contexts. The capacity is there. The question is whether we can bring it together at the scale Europe requires.
Europe has always been capable of legal innovation when the moment demands it. This is that moment.
Who we are
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. We firmly believe that Rights of Nature strengthens human rights by securing the ecological foundation of human existence, especially as climate impacts intensify globally.
Across Europe, independent movements have recognised that establishing Rights of Nature represents a crucial turning point in our relationship with the natural world. By joining forces, we aim to implement a framework that offers hope for future generations to live in harmony with nature.
Are you a member of a civil society organisation or initiative and think your group should join our alliance?
Write to info@rightsfornature.eu!
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Our funders
Rights for Nature is an independent campaign. We accept no corporate funding — our work is supported by foundations and individuals who share our commitment to a Europe where nature has legal standing.
We are grateful for the support of:
Welcome on board
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Questions & Answers
About Rights of Nature
What does “Rights of Nature” mean?
It means treating rivers, forests, oceans, and other ecosystems as living entities with rights – not merely as property or resources to be managed. Those rights can include the right to exist, to stay healthy, to regenerate, and to be restored when damaged. Crucially, it means that citizens can go to court on behalf of an ecosystem, in the same way that lawyers can represent a company or a person who cannot speak for themselves.
Why should nature have rights?
Because the law has to evolve alongside the challenges we face. Climate change, biodiversity loss, and ecosystem collapse are not being reversed by the legal tools we currently have and that is not a coincidence. A law that treats a river as an object cannot protect it the way a law that treats it as a living entity can.
The idea may sound unfamiliar, but legal rights are regularly extended to entities that cannot speak for themselves. Companies have legal rights. Future generations are increasingly recognised in law. Indigenous legal traditions around the world and Europe’s own deep traditions of environmental reverence have long understood ecosystems as more than raw material.
When a forest is destroyed, it cannot appear in court. Rights for Nature would allow citizens to do so on its behalf. That is not a radical idea – it is a practical one.
How would an ecosystem actually be represented in court – who speaks for it?
A designated guardian or representative, appointed by law, in a similar way to how a trustee represents a person who cannot act for themselves. This could be a public body, a citizens’ committee, or an officially recognised advocacy organisation, depending on how the legislation is designed. Their role would be to monitor the health of the ecosystem, report damage, and bring legal action when its rights are being violated.
The model already exists in practice: in New Zealand, a board of guardians co-managed by the Māori community and the Crown represents the Whanganui River. In Spain, the Mar Menor has a legal commission that can act on its behalf.
Would Rights of Nature override property rights or existing economic activities?
No. Recognising rights for ecosystems does not mean abolishing private property or halting all economic activity. Businesses and governments would still be able to use natural resources but they would have to respect the health and regenerative limits of ecosystems, not just in principle, but in law. The framework shifts the question from “how much damage is legally permissible?” to “what does this ecosystem need to survive and thrive?” Activities that can be shown to cause irreversible harm to an ecosystem’s core functions would face stronger legal scrutiny – which is precisely the point.
Hasn’t this been tried before, is it actually possible?
It is not only possible; it is already happening. Ecuador enshrined Rights of Nature in its constitution in 2008. In New Zealand, the Whanganui River has been recognised as a legal person since 2017. In Canada, several ecosystems have been granted legal rights by local communities and courts.
Closer to home: in 2022, the Mar Menor lagoon in Murcia, Spain, became the first European ecosystem to hold its own legal rights – the result of a citizen-led campaign backed by over 600,000 signatures. These are not symbolic gestures. They are legal instruments that have been used in court.
How do Rights of Nature relate to human rights?
They are complementary. Healthy ecosystems are the foundation for fundamental human rights to clean water, food, a stable climate, and a liveable environment. Protecting ecosystems is not an alternative to protecting people; it is a precondition for it. Rights for Nature would help secure the ecological foundations on which present and future generations depend.
About the ECI
What is the Rights for Nature European Citizens’ Initiative?
The Rights for Nature ECI is a formal, EU-wide democratic tool that calls on the European Union to recognise legal rights for nature. By collecting at least one million verified signatures from citizens across EU member states, we can invite the European Commission to propose legislation that grants ecosystems those rights.
What is the main goal of the initiative?
We want EU law to recognise that ecosystems have rights: the right to exist, to remain healthy, and to be restored when harmed. Our immediate goal is to open this debate at EU level by collecting one million signatures from citizens across Europe, which would legally require the European Commission to consider our proposal.
Is this compatible with existing EU treaties?
Yes. The initiative does not require treaty change. It calls for new legislation within the EU’s existing competences and specifically in the areas of environmental policy and nature protection, where the EU already has a strong legal basis. The European Commission has the authority to propose legislation in this area; our goal is to give it a democratic mandate to do so. The initiative builds on rather than replaces the existing body of EU environmental law, including the Nature Restoration Law, the Water Framework Directive, and the Habitats Directive. There have been multiple legal assessments that state that the Rights of Nature fall within the legitimacy of the EU. A more deep explanation can be found in the description of the initiative.
What happens after you collect one million signatures?
Once the threshold is reached and the signatures are verified, the European Commission is legally required to examine the proposal and respond formally, explaining what action it intends to take, or why it does not intend to act. The European Parliament also holds a public hearing at which the organisers can present the initiative.
This does not automatically result in new legislation: the Commission retains the right to decide whether to propose a law. But one million verified signatures from across Europe create significant political pressure and a formal, public obligation to respond. No ECI has ever been simply ignored.
What if you don’t reach one million signatures?
The initiative would lapse in its current form, and the Commission would have no formal obligation to respond. But the campaign would not be without effect. Every signature represents a person who has actively expressed support for Rights of Nature at EU level. Every partner organisation built, every Ambassador recruited, and every person who joins the movement strengthens the broader Rights of Nature movement in Europe which will continue regardless of the outcome of any single campaign. We intend to reach one million. But the work does not stop if we fall short.
Does my signature have to be verified and how does that work?
Yes. The EU requires that signatures on a European Citizens’ Initiative be verified by national authorities to confirm that each signatory is a genuine, eligible EU citizen. The verification process varies by country, in most cases it involves providing your name, address, date of birth, and a national identity document number. These details are submitted securely through the EU’s official ECI collection system and handled in accordance with GDPR. Your data will not be used for any purpose other than verifying your eligibility and will not be shared with the campaign organisers.
When can I sign and who can sign?
Signature collection will possibly begin in October 2026 and run for twelve months. Any EU citizen who is old enough to vote in European Parliament elections in their country of residence is eligible to sign. Sign up for updates and we will let you know the moment signing opens.
About the Campaign
Who is behind this initiative?
We are citizens from across EU member states: lawyers, scientists, activists, and people who simply care deeply about the natural world. In each participating country we have members who are passionate about the idea of the Rights of Nature in the respective country. We work together through a network of organisations that share a commitment to democratic principles, legal innovation, and the belief that Europe can build a different kind of relationship with nature. Our campaign is coordinated by Rechte der Natur e.V. in Germany, in partnership with Rights of Nature movements in ten European countries.
How is the campaign funded?
The campaign is funded through a combination of grants from foundations and philanthropic organisations, individual donations from supporters, and in-kind contributions from our partner organisations across Europe. If you would like to support the campaign financially, you can do so on our Donate page.
How will you use my data if I sign up for updates?
Your name and email address will be stored in our campaign database and used exclusively to send you updates about the Rights for Nature ECI campaign news, event invitations, and information about when the signature collection opens. We will never sell or share your data with third parties. You can unsubscribe at any time with a single click. We process your data in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Full details are in our privacy policy.
I’m not an EU citizen, can I still support the campaign?
Yes and we are glad you asked. Only EU citizens who are eligible to vote in the elections for the European Parliament can sign the official ECI, but the Rights of Nature movement is global, and there is plenty you can do. You can share our campaign with people in your network who are EU citizens. You can attend our events, follow us on social media, and help spread the word. You can contribute financially to help us build the infrastructure for one million signatures. And you can support Rights of Nature initiatives in your own country: the movement needs advocates everywhere.
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