UK campaigners launch bill to give nature legal rights

Published: 23 October 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online.

A groundbreaking proposal seeking to change the legal status of nature is being launched today in the House of Lords, marking a potentially historic moment for environmental law in the United Kingdom. The UK Nature’s Rights Bill, a private member’s initiative, aims to legally enshrine the principle that there can be no lasting economic progress or social justice without respect for the natural world. If enacted, it would shift the legal status of nature from a passive object, property, or resource to a legal subject endowed with inherent rights.

The initiative, drafted and championed by the environmental group Nature’s Rights, proposes a radical rethinking of governance and legal accountability. It would establish a statutory duty of care towards nature and introduce a governance framework through national and bioregional councils tasked with implementing, monitoring, and enforcing the bill’s provisions. These measures are designed to embed sustainable and regenerative practices across the economy, society, and policy-making, effectively ensuring that nature is considered in every decision that could affect it.

“We are looking for a seismic shift in law and policy-making,” said Mumta Ito, founder of Nature’s Rights and the lead architect of the bill. “We need to encode a new consciousness in law, with laws that protect nature as the very basis of life. This is about recognising that our survival, and the survival of all species, depends on how we treat the world around us.”

The launch of the bill comes amid a global rise of nature rights movements, reflecting growing frustration with humanity’s exploitative relationship with other species and increasing awareness of the limitations of technology- and market-based approaches to the climate and biodiversity crises. Supporters argue that recognising nature’s rights is not merely symbolic; it is a practical framework to prevent harm and ensure ecosystems are safeguarded before degradation occurs.

Prominent environmentalists are backing the initiative. Chris Packham, the renowned naturalist and animal welfare campaigner, said the timing could not be more urgent. “We’re in a biodiversity and climate emergency,” Packham said. “The Nature’s Rights Bill is a practical step that embeds nature into everyday decision-making. We prevent harm rather than clean up after it. Giving nature a voice in law is beyond overdue and urgently needed.”

The bill will be submitted in the House of Lords by Baroness Natalie Bennett, former leader of the Green Party, who has long advocated for environmental reform and radical ecological policies. Bennett stressed the need for systemic change and the importance of rethinking entrenched attitudes toward the natural world. “Political change happens in big jumps. We have to model what the next jump will be,” she said. “There is an increasing realisation that what we are doing now is not working. We need to unlearn a whole lot of 20th-century thinking, including that nature is something we can just manipulate and abuse.”

Globally, legal recognition of nature’s rights is gaining momentum. Countries including Ecuador, Bolivia, Uganda, the United States, Canada, Brazil, New Zealand, Mexico, and Northern Ireland have some form of legal acknowledgement of the rights of nature in constitutions, national laws, or local regulations. Courts in India and Colombia have recognised the rights of ecosystems, rivers, and other natural entities, setting legal precedents for environmental protection. Internationally, the United Nations has explored the concept at gatherings of the UN Environment Programme and the Convention on Biological Diversity, signalling increasing recognition of the idea that ecosystems themselves can hold rights.

In the UK, recognition of nature’s rights has largely been regional until now. The Welsh parliament has led the way with its Well-being of Future Generations Act, which embeds environmental and social responsibility in legislation. Several English councils, including Lewes, Basingstoke and Deane, and Test Valley, have recognised the rights of local rivers to flow freely and remain free from pollution. In Scotland, petitions have been submitted seeking legal personhood for rivers such as the Clyde. These incremental efforts have laid the groundwork for a broader national conversation about granting legal standing to the natural world.

Critics of the bill argue that its passage faces significant obstacles. Private members’ bills in the UK must first win a parliamentary lottery to be debated, and even then they often encounter strong opposition from political forces resistant to environmental regulation. Opposition is likely from sectors concerned with economic impact, property rights, and industries reliant on natural resource exploitation. Despite these challenges, supporters view the bill as the first step in a long-term strategy to reshape the legal and ethical framework through which society interacts with nature.

Jonathan Elmer, the Green Party’s nature spokesperson, emphasised the strategic importance of the initiative. “This is the very start of the process,” he said. “We might not get it through parliament yet, but if we are not successful the first time, we will do it again. We are going through a period of extreme political upheaval. Old allegiances are breaking down. It is chaotic, but we have to make sure there are hopeful examples out there to coalesce behind. This is a stalking horse. It is framed as rights of nature, but it is much bigger than that.”

The bill’s potential impact is profound. By recognising nature as a legal subject, it could transform decision-making in planning, infrastructure, agriculture, and resource management. It would create new legal avenues for communities, scientists, and environmental organisations to challenge harmful practices, ensuring that economic and social development is balanced with ecological protection. Advocates argue that this approach could fundamentally shift the way society perceives its relationship with the natural world, moving from exploitation to stewardship.

Beyond legislative ambitions, the campaign aims to inspire a cultural shift in public consciousness. Proponents believe that legal recognition alone is insufficient without a societal understanding of nature’s intrinsic value. Education, advocacy, and public engagement are essential components of the campaign, ensuring that citizens and policymakers alike understand the interconnectedness of environmental health and human wellbeing.

While the journey to legal recognition of nature’s rights in the UK is at an early stage, campaigners see hope in the global precedent and increasing public awareness of environmental crises. The Nature’s Rights Bill represents both a practical legal proposal and a symbolic statement about humanity’s responsibilities toward the Earth. As the debate begins in the House of Lords, it signals a bold step toward rethinking the nation’s legal and moral relationship with the natural world.