France National Law: legal personality and rights of the Seine River
On 20 February 2026, a bill on the legal personality and rights of the Seine River was tabled in the Senate of France's national parliament.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.
Switzerland Constitutional Initiative: sustainable development as a state aim in the constitution
In 1994, Marguerite Misteli Guided paved the way for Switzerland to enshrine sustainable development in its federal constitution.Read More →
Bumblebee FOI Request (Switzerland): Federal Chancellery and GS-DETEC
In 2025, an extinct bumblebee (Bombus confusus) filed a Freedom of Information request in Switzerland on the government’s handling of the ecological crisis.Read More →
National Infrastructure Commission for Wales Recommendation: flood management
In 2024, the National Infrastructure Commission for Wales recommended to the Welsh Government that nature be given a voice in decision-making for flood policy.Read More →
UK Citizens Petition: rights of rivers and rias
In June 2025, a citizen petition was submitted to the UK parliament to Recognise Rivers & Rias (Drowned River Valleys) in England as living entities with rightsRead More →
Scotland Citizens Petition: rights of the River Clyde
In December 2024, Professor Louise Welsh and Jude Barber submitted a petition to the Scottish Parliament to grant the River Clyde legal personhood.Read More →
River Wye Catchment Nutrient Management Board (UK): nature governance
In April 2025, the River Wye Catchment Nutrient Management Board appointed ecologist Louise Bodnar as the Voice of the River Wye.Read More →
National Infrastructure Commission for Wales: Nature Guardian
In 2025, the National Infrastructure Commission for Wales undertook a 6 month pilot to test a new governance intervention: the appointment of a Nature Guardian.Read More →