Santa Ana (Ecuador) Court Case: rights of the Portoviejo River
In January 2026, a Santa Ana judge declared the Portoviejo River a rights‑bearing entity and ordered contamination remediation and ongoing protections.Read More →
Civil Society
This page identifies ecological jurisprudence initiatives in which one or more of the initiators is a group of people that have come together to support the initiative, but are not in a formally recognized non-governmental organization. These people may either be based in a particular community or be gathered together via a common movement/initiative.
Martinique Citizen Declaration: rights of the salt marshes
In 2023, a coalition of Martinican associations launched the Declaration of the Rights of the Salines to support the recognition of it's ecosystem rights.Read More →
Grisons (Switzerland) court case: rights of wolves and children
In 2024, a child took legal action contesting a culling order of wolves in the Canton of Grisons, arguing it violates the rights of nature and the child.Read More →
Bumblebee FOI Request (Switzerland): Federal Chancellery and GS-DETEC
In 2025, an extinct bumblebee (Bombus confusus) filed a Freedom of Information request in Switzerland on the government’s handling of the ecological crisis.Read More →
UK Citizens Petition: rights of rivers and rias
In June 2025, a citizen petition was submitted to the UK parliament to Recognise Rivers & Rias (Drowned River Valleys) in England as living entities with rightsRead More →
Scotland Citizens Petition: rights of the River Clyde
In December 2024, Professor Louise Welsh and Jude Barber submitted a petition to the Scottish Parliament to grant the River Clyde legal personhood.Read More →
Mar Menor FOI Request (Switzerland): Federal Office of Justice
Mar Menor sought environmental information from the Federal Office of Justice of Switzerland, but faced a denial of justice.Read More →
Paris (France) Resolution: rights of the Seine River
On June 4 2025, the Paris City Council adopted a resolution calling on Parliament to pass a law giving the Seine River legal personhood.Read More →