Tyrol (Austria) Citizen Declaration: Together for a Living Isel

Summary

On 13 September 2025, a group of women in East Tyrol, Austria together with the Tyrolean State Environmental Ombudsman, presented a declaration for a living Isel River at the Isel Festival in Ainet. The project is overseen by the Tyrolean Environmental Ombudsman, which, as the “voice of nature”, promotes exchange, discovery and creative collaboration around the Isel, and is committed to its careful preservation.

The Declaration stipulates that the Isel River “must be heard”, the community must “treat her with goodwill and respect”, the river “has a right to develop well”, and that the community is “committed to ensuring that it can flow freely through East Tyrol”.

2025 – A Year for the Isel
The Tyrolean Environmental Ombudsoffice dedicated the year of 2025 to the Isel River, which is described as shaping the culture, way of life, and is the lifeblood of the region. Throughout 2025, “we want to highlight the vibrant relationship between the Isel and the people it connects with, and foster respectful coexistence – for this and future generations, and for the Isel itself. Because the Isel is one of us.” “Our goal is a relationship built on respect, responsibility, and mindful coexistence. This applies both to the people who live and work in the region and to the Isel herself — one of the last largely intact glacial rivers in the Alps. By recognizing the needs of both people and river, we strive to create new standards for living together.”