Rother (UK) District Council Motion: rights of trees

Summary

On September 15 2025, a motion was submitted in the Rother District Council declaring the Council’s support for the growing global rights of nature movement, and as a framework for rethinking the relationship between human beings and the natural world. Specifically, the motion seeks to recognize and protect the rights of Rother Trees, stating:

“This Council supports the introduction into law of legislation which would require those taking decisions affecting trees to have regard to the trees’ rights to:
1. exist and grow;
2. have their own mycelium (underground fungi) protected;
3. access to their adjacent root-wide-web;
4. have their wellbeing protected for future generations;
5. not to be willfully injured or damaged;
6. not to be killed;
7. not to be polluted with poisons;
8. have an articulated voice in the community; and
9. hold polluters and vandals accountable.”

The motion also highlights the importance of a specific Yew tree, the Crowhurst 1066 Yew Tree, which is an ancient native tree and an important local natural monument, which the motion says stands as a living link for the community and its history going back more than 1,300 years. The motion declares “This Council therefore welcomes the decision of Crowhurst Parish Council [located within Rother District] to support “personhood status” for the 1066 Yew tree and invites them, together with the community of Crowhurst, to take on guardianship of the 1066 Yew Tree to protect it for future generations”.

The motion dictates the Council will consider how to reflect this motion in its revised Rother Local Plan, and will update the Council’s Climate Strategy Action Plan to reflect this motion. It also states that it will support proposals from community groups and organisations for similar declarations in respect of other Rother trees that can be considered as a “heritage and/or cultural asset”.

This motion builds upon the Council’s Climate Strategy, which recognises that trees and healthy soils are important tools to help us to mitigate and adapt to climate change. The Strategy and Action Plan commit the Council to halt land and marine species decline, and to increase biodiversity and carbon sequestration, through actions such as developing a district-wide tree strategy and specifying that the new Local Plan will have regard to the Local Nature Recovery Strategy in decision making through policy.