On February 28th, the Green Party of England and Wales adopted the following Rights of Nature policy, drafted in partnership with CELDF:
GREEN PARTY OF ENGLAND AND WALES
RIGHTS OF NATURE POLICY – ADOPTED FEBRUARY 28, 2016
RR1000: The Green Party advocates the legal recognition of rights of nature as a legal concept to protect ecosystems. Central to this are the rights of nature to exist, persist, maintain and regenerate its vital cycles, as well as the right to restoration. Green parliamentarians, both in Europe and the UK, will support any sensible measures to introduce such legal instruments.
RR1001: Recognising the rights of nature advances a new framework for environmental protection, placing the highest societal value and protection on nature through the recognition of rights.
RR1002: The State shall defend and enforce the rights of nature. People and communities shall be empowered to defend and enforce the rights of nature for perceived breaches, which will then be judged through the legal system.
RR1003: If an ecosystem’s rights are breached then the State shall establish effective mechanisms to achieve full restoration and shall adopt adequate measures to prevent future violations of the rights of nature.
RR1004: These rights will not be restrictive to human flourishing, and will be designed to cover a definition of ecosystems that is established in conjunction with legal experts, as well as public consultation.
RR1005: The rights of nature will be established in coordination with legal experts and will involve public consultation; as well as dialogue with countries that have successfully integrated rights of nature into their constitutions and legal frameworks.
RR1006: Recognising that corporate rights and powers are often used to exploit nature and undermine environmental protections, corporations that violate or seek to violate the rights of nature shall not possess legal rights, powers, privileges, immunities, or duties which may interfere with or violate the rights of nature.