Rights Of Nature

This page identifies initiatives that frame ecological jurisprudence in terms of rights of nature. Initiatives are included in this category when they explicitly recognize any non-human element of Nature (e.g., ecosystems, plant species, animal species) or Nature in general as a subject with rights.

Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor (CMAR) Management Proposal: integration of rights of nature

Location:Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador & Panamá

Status:Submitted in 2025

Legal Provision:Position Statement

Nature Type:Marine Ecosystem

In January 2025, NGOs submitted a letter to the Minister of Environment of Panama on behalf of the Ocean regarding a Rights of Nature framework in CMAR.Read More →

Switzerland Parliamentary Postulate: granting glaciers legal personality

Location:Switzerland

Status:Failed in 2022

Legal Provision:Legislation

Nature Type:Freshwater Ecosystem

In 2017, Swiss parliamentarians sought rights for glaciers, but the Federal Council rejected the proposal despite scientific warnings of their disappearance.Read More →

Santo Antônio do Itambé (Brazil) Municipal Organic Law: rights of Serra do Itambé

Location:Minas Gerais State, Brazil

Status:Approved in 2024

Legal Provision:Legislation

Nature Type:Mountain

In March 2024, the municipality of Santo Antônio do Itambé in Minas Gerais, Brazil adopted an amendment to its Organic Law to recognize rights to nature.Read More →

Switzerland: Mar Menor FOI Request to the Federal Office of Justice

Location:Switzerland

Status:Submitted in 2025

Legal Provision:Position Statement

Nature Type:Marine Ecosystem

Mar Menor sought environmental information from the Federal Office of Justice of Switzerland, but faced a denial of justice.Read More →

Paris Citizen Declaration: rights of the Seine River

Location:Paris, France

Status:Drafted in 2025

Legal Provision:Civil Society Declaration

Nature Type:Freshwater Ecosystem, Urban

On June 4 2025, the Paris City Council called on France's Parliament to pass a law giving the River Seine rightsRead More →

Aotearoa (New Zealand) Tohorā Oranga Bill: legal personhood of whales

Location:Aotearoa (New Zealand)

Status:Submitted in 2026

Legal Provision:Legislation

Nature Type:Animal, Marine Ecosystem

On 5 February 2026, MP Teanau Tuiono lodged a member's bill, the Tohorā Oranga Bill, in the New Zealand parliament, seeking to give whales inherent rights. Read More →

Berlin (Germany) Draft Law: rights of the Spree River

Location:Berlin and Brandenburg States, Germany

Status:Drafted in 2025

Legal Provision:Civil Society Declaration

Nature Type:Freshwater Ecosystem, Urban

In October 2025, a group of citizens launched a draft law to recognize the rights of the Spree River in Berlin as a legal entity.Read More →

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

Location:East Tyrol, Austria

Status:Drafted in 2025

Legal Provision:Civil Society Declaration

Nature Type:Freshwater Ecosystem

On 13 September 2025, residents of East Tyrol, Austria together with the Tyrolean Environmental Ombudsman, presented a declaration for a living Isel River.Read More →