Rights for Nature

We are European citizens uniting to call on the EU to recognise ecosystems as rights-holders rather than property. Starting in autumn 2026, we will collect one million signatures to bring this demand before the European Commission and shift the foundation of Europe's environmental law.

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Our goal: one million signatures in Europe

Legal Voice

Nature gains legal standing to defend itself against harm through citizen representation.

Ecosystem Regeneration

Empowering damaged ecosystems with rights to healing, regeneration, and recovery.

Citizen Empowerment

Enabling Europeans to directly advocate for the ecosystems they depend on.

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.

This change is possible. Be part of it.

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Rights for Nature activists at a campaign event

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.

The initiative is officially registered with the European Commission.

Before signature collection opens in autumn 2026, we are doing the groundwork: Growing our network of partner organisations, and building a movement ready to act. Will you become part of that journey?

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Your Voice Matters

What supporters of the initiative say

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We are bringing the Spree to Brussels. There is no time to lose. The time has come for a paradigm shift in European and national laws.

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Numerous citizens' initiatives at the local level show that the recognition of the rights of nature is awaited by civil society. In France, many "Parliaments" of ecosystems are created to give a voice to nature.

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We support the Rights for Nature ECI because it shows the strength of grassroots movements across Europe. We're ready to join forces for ecological justice at the EU level.

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We have been working to get the Odra River recognised as a legal person since the major poisoning disaster in 2022. Now is the time to take major steps towards an EU law for the Rights of Nature.

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To prevent planetary collapse, we must transform societies, including our legal system. We can't keep seeing Nature as property to exploit. It's time law understands ecosystems are agents worthy of care and respect.

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In the Capitalocene era, this European Citizens' Initiative sparks awareness of the need to coexist with all beings — honouring the balance and respect long practiced by many Indigenous communities.

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The European Union will soon be filled with the hope that the Rights of Nature have brought for the future of the Mar Menor and its communities. An eco-centric shift in environmental legislation will allow a return to harmony with Nature.