Summary
In November 2023, the Arc Fleuve Vivant Association, assisted by Notre Affaire à Tous, launched the Declaration of the Rights of the Arc River in order to support its recognition as a legal natural entity. The Declaration recognizes “The Arc and its watershed, beyond administrative divisions, is a living and indivisible legal natural entity, from its source at Mont Aurélien, in the Var department, to its mouth at the Étang de Berre, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department.”
Jurisprudential Framing
The Declaration recognizes the Arc and its watershed as a legal person, and articulates seven rights of the river, among them the right to exist and live freely in accordance with natural cycles, the right to conservation, and the right to take legal action through representatives. The river representatives will be composed of members of Arc Fleuve Vivant association, as well as members of riverside municipalities, civil society representatives from the various economic, social, and environmental sectors, and independent scientific experts. They will be appointed at a later date.
The Declaration encourages municipal, metropolitan, and regional elected officials to adopt the document. Since proclaiming the rights of the Arc River, the Arc Fleuve Vivant association launched a petition for the Declaration, which has been signed by over 2,400 individuals. Continued mobilization remains crucial to ensure the Declaration’s implementation at the local level. Citizens, residents, businesses, associations, local elected officials, and any other interested individuals or entities are invited to support the Declaration.
The northern part of the Arc watershed is located on the Concors Sainte-Victoire site, a classified natural area of nearly 50,000 hectares with three registered Natura 2000 sites of important landscape value and biological diversity. The Arc and the surrounding ecosystems are severely impacted by highways and intensive urbanization.
Involved Organizations
Related Initiatives
Suggested Citation:
Kauffman, Craig, Catherine Haas, Alex Putzer, Shrishtee Bajpai, Kelsey Leonard, Elizabeth Macpherson, Pamela Martin, Alessandro Pelizzon & Linda Sheehan. Eco Jurisprudence Monitor. V2. 2025. Distributed by the Eco Jurisprudence Monitor.https://ecojurisprudence.org/initiatives/declaration-of-the-rights-of-the-arc-river-in-the-bouches-du-rhone-france/.
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