Florianópolis (Brazil) Organic Law: rights of nature

Summary

On 11 June 2019, the City Council of Florianopolis in Brazil approved an amendment to Article 133 of the Organic Law of the Municipality, which states “The municipality is responsible for promoting diversity and harmony with nature and for preserving, recovering, restoring, and expanding natural ecosystem processes, in order to provide socio-ecological resilience to urban and rural environments, and the planning and management of natural resources should foster the sustainable management of common-use resources and agroecological practices, in order to guarantee the quality of life of human and non-human populations, respect the principles of good living, and grant nature legal standing.” (pg. 10)

The amendment also mandates Authorities to “promote public policies and environmental monitoring instruments so that nature acquires legal standing and is considered in municipal budget programs and government projects and actions, and decision-making must be based on science, utilize the principles and practices of nature conservation, observe the precautionary principle, and seek to involve the Legislative and Judicial branches, the State and the Union, the other municipalities of the Metropolitan Region and civil society organizations.” (pg. 11)

The Amendment to the Organic Law entered into force on 12 November 2019.

Involved Organizations

Related Initiatives