Summary
In September 2022, the concept of the Rights of the River Ouse was discussed at the River Festival in Lewes, England where local people took part in a workshop, led by Love our Ouse, to propose a draft charter of rights for the river that was based on the Universal Declaration of River Rights. The river festival declaration led to the proposal (by Councillor Matthew Bird) and passage of a Motion on the Rights of River by the Lewes District Council on February 20, 2023, which recognizes both the rights of nature and the rights of rivers.
The motion mandates the Council will explore the implementation of Rights of Nature as a way of improving the health of the River Ouse and other local rivers, and will work towards the production of a Rights of the River Ouse Charter, which they are committed to draft and consider for endorsement by 2025. The Charter will be based on the Universal Declaration of River Rights, which mandates that rivers’ have the right to flow, be free from pollution, feed and be fed by sustainable aquifers, have native biodiversity, and the right to regeneration and restoration.
Lewes is the first council in England to pass a motion of this kind, and if the subsequent Charter is adopted, will provide the River Ouse with intrinsic rights.