Switzerland Federal Constitutional Amendment: Rights of Nature
In 2021, Switzerland national councilors submitted a constitutional amendment guaranteeing environmental rights and partial status of a legal subject to nature.Read More →
Europe
This page identifies ecological jurisprudence initiatives that exist in Europe. For the purposes of delineating boundaries, we define Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan as constituting the Eastern boundary of Europe.
Corsica (France) Declaration: Rights of the Tavignanu River
The Assembly of Corsica approved a motion requesting priority review on the recognition of the Tavignanu river and granting it a legal personality.Read More →
Pope Francis Holy See: address to the United Nations (2015)
In 2015, Pope Francis addressed members of the UN at its headquarters, saying, "it must be stated that a true ‘right of the environment’ does exist." Read More →
Fermanagh County (Northern Ireland) Motion: Rights of Nature
In 2021, the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council in Ireland passed a motion recognizing rights of nature.Read More →
Pope Francis Holy See: Laudato Si (Care for our Common Home)
In 2015, Pope Francis wrote an Encyclical Letter on ecocentrist values and the "duty to protect the Earth and to ensure its fruitfulness for coming generations"Read More →
Spain National Mar Menor Act of 2022
In 2022, Spain passed a national law establishing legal personhood for Mar Menor Lagoon, setting a European precedent for rights-based ecosystem protection.Read More →
Sweden Constitutional Amendment: Rights of Nature
In 2019, MP Rebecka Le Moine of the Swedish parliament proposed an amendment recognizing rights of nature to the Swedish constitution.Read More →
International Rights of Nature Tribunal, 2nd Regional Hearing: Europe 2021
In 2021, GARN held the European Rights of Nature Tribunal "In Defense of Aquatic Ecosystems" to investigate five critical aquatic ecosystem cases.Read More →