Summary
In November 2023, the municipality of Eijsden-Margraten became the first in the Netherlands to officially recognize the rights of nature. The proposed motion (from PRO Eijsden-Margraten political party) grants legal personality to nature in the municipality of Eijsden-Margraten, and states that doing so “can improve attention to and protection of our natural environment and stimulate innovative approaches to sustainability.” The rights of nature will be voiced by a yet-to-be-appointed guardian who will represent the interests of nature and ensure that those interests become an integral part of every council decision-making process in the municipality. The motion also states that there is no need to wait for national legislation to protect Nature, and that “the municipality of Eijsden-Margraten can play a pioneering role by committing itself to the recognition of legal personality for nature at a local level.” It is not yet known what exactly the new policy will look like (legal and organizational) in Eijsden-Margraten.