Towards a Loire with Legal Rights: a Bill and Two Public Events to Discuss It

Last June, the Member of Parliament for Tours, Charles Fournier, submitted to the French National Assembly a bill aimed at granting the Loire a legal personality. This initiative is part of the growing movement for the rights of nature, both in France and internationally.

As these issues gain traction across many territories, the collective Vers un Parlement de Loire is organising an open discussion in Tours about the bill and the broader question of recognising rivers as subjects of rights. 👉 Information and registration: contact us

A second event will take place on Thursday, 12 November in Paris, at the National Assembly, at the initiative of MP Charles Fournier, to present and debate the bill.

🔗 More information: https://charlesfournier.fr/donner-une-personnalite-juridique-a-loire-presentation-de-la-proposition-de-loi-le-12-novembre-a-paris/

Around twenty countries have already taken similar steps. Examples include:

• The Atrato River in Colombia, granted the status of a “subject of rights” in 2016 by the Constitutional Court;
• The Whanganui River in New Zealand, recognised by Parliament in 2017 as a “person” endowed with rights;
• The Magpie River in Canada, recognised as a legal person in 2021 — a first for the country.

This shift is also happening in Europe: in Spain, a 2022 law granted the Mar Menor lagoon and its watershed the status of a natural legal person, making it the first ecosystem in Europe to obtain such recognition.

These ecosystems have, in recent years, gained unprecedented legal status, allowing them to be represented and protected against human pressures. More details can be found in the bill.

In France, the question of nature’s rights and the legal recognition of rivers is gaining momentum. The Loire — an emblematic and fragile river — is at the heart of this reflection. The bill submitted by Charles Fournier in June marks an important step: it proposes the creation of a “Guardian of the Loire”, responsible for representing the interests of the river and its watershed in public and private decision‑making. More info, see press release