Universal Declaration of Tree Rights

Summary

On 18 November, 2018, the Universal Declaration of Tree Rights (Déclaration universelle des droits de l’Arbre, DUDA) was founded by Ricardo Rey and La Compagnie des Papillons Bleus. Three founding articles were written as the foundational normative sequence of the Declaration: “Article I. The Tree, a sensitive living being and source of Life, is a common good of humankind. Article II. Life on Earth depends on the existence of the Tree. Article III. Human beings, endowed with reason and conscience, must act with the Tree in a spirit of fraternity and solidarity.” As the founding organization and official institutional steward of the Universal Declaration of Tree Rights, La Compagnie des Papillons Bleus, is responsible for establishing broader frameworks including the Fifteen Commitments for Local and Regional Authorities; the Assembly of the Tree; the International Register of Signatory Authorities; and the proposed International Convention on Tree Rights. These later developments were created as instruments for implementing and coordinating the principles established by the three founding articles.

On 15 May, 2019, an international petition supporting the Declaration was published online, and then circulated to European and international institutions on 18 May, 2019. On 19 May, 2019, the initiative published its three founding articles, which recognize the Tree as a sentient living being, a source of Life and a common good of humanity; affirm that life on Earth depends upon the existence of the Tree; and establish a normative principle requiring humankind to act toward Trees in a spirit of fraternity and solidarity. The Declaration is intended to inform public policy, institutional practices and the future development of law, and when adopted does not solely create a complete regime of directly enforceable individual rights or automatically confer general legal personhood upon trees.

On 9 June 2026, the municipality of Terrasse-Vaudreuil in Quebec, Canada became the first locality to formally adopt this specific Universal Declaration of Tree Rights via a municipal council resolution.

As stated via written correspondence by Ricardo Rey, the Founder of the Universal Declaration of Tree Rights, “The Universal Declaration of Tree Rights constitutes an autonomous ethical, normative, legal, democratic and institutional framework. Although it shares certain ecocentric concerns with the Rights of Nature movement, it is not derived from that movement and should not be regarded as one of its subdivisions. Its foundations are the recognition of the Tree as a living being, the ecological reality of humanity’s dependence upon Trees, and the responsibilities arising from that relationship. The Declaration does not make legal personhood or legal subjecthood a necessary condition for the recognition of Tree Rights. Depending upon the constitutional and legal context of each jurisdiction, these rights may be protected through different legal, political and institutional mechanisms.”

The Universal Declaration of Tree Rights is distinct from the Déclaration des droits de l’Arbre adopted by the French association A.R.B.R.E.S. on 5 April, 2019. The A.R.B.R.E.S. declaration was drafted and adopted independently as a French civil-society initiative and has been promoted through symbolic adoption by municipalities. Neither A.R.B.R.E.S. nor Delphine Batho founded, drafted, co-developed, or institutionally supported the Universal Declaration of Tree Rights. Likewise, the founders of the Universal Declaration did not participate in drafting or adopting the A.R.B.R.E.S. declaration.

Impact Statement

Despite its title, the Universal Declaration of Tree Rights does not articulate legal rights for trees or recognize trees as subjects of law. Instead, it emphasizes the ecological importance of trees as living beings upon which our planet depends.

In 2026, within the framework of the international initiative developed by La Compagnie des Papillons Bleus, Terrasse-Vaudreuil became the first local public authority in the world to formally adopt this specific Universal Declaration of Tree Rights by means of a municipal council resolution.

Involved Organizations

Related Initiatives