Switzerland court case: voting rights of the wild apple
In June 2026, the wild apple filed an electoral complaint regarding the popular initiative “No to a Switzerland with 10 Million! (Sustainability Initiative)".Read More →
Personhood
This page identifies initiatives that explicitly recognizes any non-human element of Nature (e.g., ecosystems, plant species, animal species) as possessing legal personhood status. In doing so, these initiatives treat Nature like any other other legal person, like corporations, as opposed to recognizing unique rights of nature. Note that all initiatives included in the Personhood category are also included in the Rights of Nature category, but not all rights of nature initiatives are legal personhood initiatives.
Europen Citizens Initiaitve (ECI): Rights for Nature
On 19 May 2026, a European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) on Rights of Nature was formally accepted and registered by the European Commission.Read More →
Valais (Switzerland) court case: rights of wolves and children
In 2024, a child took legal action contesting a culling order of wolves in the Canton of Valais, arguing it violates the rights of nature and the child.Read More →
Lucerne (Switzerland) Parliamentary Inquiry: right to a healthy environment and legal personality of nature
In June 2023 Rahel Estermann submitted an inquiry on the right to a healthy environment and legal personality of nature that sparked a debate in Lucerne.Read More →
Mar Menor FOI Request (Germany): Federal Ministry for the Environment BMUKN
Mar Menor requested information on rights of nature from the Federal Ministry for the Environment but was ignored as the applicant.Read More →
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 →
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 →
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 →