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The signature drive for the European Citizens\u2019 Initiative to recognize the Rights of Nature has begun. Among its goals is to enable citizens to legally represent and protect ecosystems. Part of this effort is a proposal to grant legal personhood to the beech forests of the Simbruini Mountains, one of the most important forest heritage sites in the Apennines.<\/p>\n
What if a forest could have rights? What if an ecosystem threatened by human activities could be represented and defended in court, just like a person or an organization?<\/p>\n
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This is the perspective underlying the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) \u201cRights of Nature: Empowering Citizens to Represent and Protect Ecosystems\u201d<\/strong>, a campaign aimed at introducing the recognition of the legal personality of ecosystems into European law and providing citizens with concrete tools to defend them.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The petition drive began on October 13, 2026, and in<\/strong>the first fifteen days, more than 50,000 signatures were collected across the 27 countries of the European Union, more than 1,300 of which were in Italy.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The initiative is sponsored by 22 organizations from 16 European countries and represents an important opportunity to rethink the relationship between humans and nature: no longer merely resources to be used and managed, but living communities with intrinsic value and rights that deserve to be recognized and protected.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The European Citizens’ Initiative is a tool of participatory democracy<\/strong> that allows citizens to ask the European Commission to propose new legislation. For the Commission to be required to formally examine the proposal, at least one million verified signatures must be collected over a period of twelve months, with minimum thresholds met in at least seven Member States.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The goal of the initiative is to secure European legislation that would introduce three major changes:<\/p>\n By. Why this change? Today, people and companies are legal entities and can assert their rights. Ecosystems, on the other hand, continue to be viewed primarily as property or resources, even when human activities profoundly disrupt their balance.<\/p>\n Environmental regulations establish rules governing human interventions in nature, but they do not always succeed in ensuring effective protection. Companies that profit from the exploitation of natural resources can assert their interests, while damaged ecosystems lack independent legal representation. The Rights of Nature movement therefore calls for a cultural and legal shift: recognizing that nature is not merely a resource at humanity\u2019s disposal, but a living community of which we, too, are a part.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n To learn more about the initiative and sign the petition:<\/p>\n https:\/\/citizens-initiative.europa.eu\/initiatives\/details\/2026\/000006_it<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Official website: <\/p>\n https:\/\/www.rightsfornature.eu\/<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n This initiative is also supported by Salviamo l’Orso, which has been fighting for years to protect the beech forests of the Simbruini Mountains\u2014an extraordinary ecosystem shared by Abruzzo and Lazio that is vital for biodiversity in the Apennines and for the survival of species such as the Marsican brown bear.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In fact, it is an ecosystem that spans over 70,000 hectares and represents one of the most important forest resources in the entire Apennine range. Its importance is also recognized by European legislation: the Apennine beech forests with Taxus and Ilex constitute priority habitat 9210, which is protected under the European Union\u2019s Habitats Directive.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It is a particularly valuable habitat because, in Europe, it is found exclusively in Italy, along the Apennine mountain range. Its total area is estimated at approximately 200,000 hectares, nearly half of which is located in the Simbruini Mountains, which are therefore a critically important area for its conservation.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But a beech forest isn’t just a collection of trees: it is a complex system consisting of trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants, animals, fungi, leaf litter, dead wood, humus, and countless ecological relationships. Each component contributes to the functioning of the entire ecosystem.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n These forests are home to species of great conservation value, including the Marsican brown bear, the wolf, and numerous other animal and plant species. Their conservation is therefore essential not only for the protection of a priority habitat but also for maintaining the ecological balance that supports the biodiversity of the Apennines.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Yet this natural heritage is threatened by logging practices that risk compromising its ecological functions and conservation status.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The approximately 70,000 hectares of beech forests in the Simbruini Mountains are located within two large Special Protection Areas and numerous Special Areas of Conservation in the Natura 2000 network.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n On paper, therefore, this is an area widely recognized as important for biodiversity conservation. In reality, however, the existence of these designations does not always translate into adequate management that is truly focused on protecting ecosystems.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This situation is particularly significant when one considers the difference between the two sides of the mountain. On the Lazio side lies the Monti Simbruini Regional Nature Park, which covers approximately 30,000 hectares and manages the corresponding Special Protection Area, which spans approximately 50,000 hectares.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n On the Abruzzo side, however, territorial protection is primarily entrusted to the Zompo lo Schioppo Regional Nature Reserve, managed by the Municipality of Morino, which covers approximately 1,000 hectares and serves as the managing body for a Special Protection Area of much greater size, approaching 20,000 hectares.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Another key aspect concerns the Environmental Impact Assessment (VIncA), a mandatory procedure for projects that may have a significant impact on sites in the Natura 2000 Network.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This assessment should serve as an essential tool for preventing damage to habitats and protected species. However, according to the concerns raised by the proposal\u2019s proponents, the analyses are too often insufficient, the studies incomplete, and public participation lacking or nonexistent.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The procedures set forth in European and national legislation must be applied rigorously, transparently, and with the genuine involvement of local communities. The protection of biodiversity cannot be reduced to a mere bureaucratic formality.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Recognizing an ecosystem as a legal entity is not merely a theoretical possibility. There is already an important precedent in Europe. In 2022, in Spain, the Mar Menor Lagoon, in the Murcia region, became the first European ecosystem to be granted legal personality under Law No. 19\/2022. This result was achieved thanks to a citizens’ legislative initiative spearheaded by legal scholar Teresa Vicente Gim\u00e9nez, backed by more than 640,000 signatures.<\/p>\n LThe law recognizes the right of the lagoon and its basin to exist, evolve, and be protected, preserved, and restored. The measure was also introduced in response to the severe ecological crisis that had struck the Mar Menor, characterized by eutrophication and fish kills, primarily linked to pollution caused by intensive agricultural activities.<\/p>\n The The legislation provides for specific representative and advocacy bodies, including a Committee of Representatives, a Monitoring Commission, and a Scientific Committee. Citizens, associations, and local governments may take legal action to protect the ecosystem.<\/p>\n NIn November 2024, the Spanish Constitutional Court, in its ruling No. 142\/2024, upheld the law\u2019s constitutionality, recognizing it as a form of moderate ecocentrism.<\/p>\n An important precedent that demonstrates how it is possible to envision a different relationship between human society and the natural environment.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Another significant example comes from our own Apennines. The case of the killing of the bear Amarena has once again brought to the public’s attention the need to ensure effective protection not only for individual animals, but also for endangered species and the ecosystems on which their survival depends. During the criminal proceedings related to the bear’s killing, several environmental and animal rights organizations worked to represent the interests of the Marsican brown bear and the entire Apennine ecosystem. At the hearing on June 5, 2026, at the Court of Avezzano, 25 entities, including Appennino Ecosistema and Salviamo l’Orso, were recognized as civil parties.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n An important development: these organizations will be able to participate in the proceedings to represent the collective interests related to the conservation of the species and seek compensation for damages, so that any funds awarded can also be allocated to protection and conservation efforts.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This experience demonstrates just how important the role of organizations and civil society is in the protection of wildlife.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Furthermore, in 2022, the Italian Constitution took a crucial step forward with the amendment of Article 9, adding the protection of the environment, biodiversity, and ecosystems to its principles, including in the interest of future generations.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n However, a legal system capable of translating these principles into concrete instruments of representation and protection still needs to be established.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The proposal to grant legal personality to the beech forests of the Simbruini Mountains stems from the recognition that nature conservation cannot be entrusted solely to formal regulations and restrictions. We need informed citizens, active organizations, responsible governments, and tools that enable us to take action when ecosystems are threatened. That is why it is important to support both the petition regarding the Simbruini beech forests and the European Citizens\u2019 Initiative on the Rights of Nature.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Here’s what we can actually do:<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The beech forests of the Simbruini Mountains are a natural and cultural heritage of the Apennines. They are essential not only for the survival of iconic species such as the Marsican brown bear, but also for the ecological balance of a much larger region. The European initiative on the Rights of Nature represents an opportunity to change the way we view ecosystems and to give citizens more effective tools to protect them.<\/p>\n <\/p>\nOne Million Signatures to Recognize the Rights of Ecosystems<\/h3>\n
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The beech forests of the Simbruini Mountains: an ecosystem to be preserved and protected<\/h3>\n
Protection that is still, all too often, only on paper<\/h3>\n
It is possible to recognize the rights of an ecosystem: the Mar Menor precedent<\/h3>\n
The Marsican bear, too, can be represented and defended in court<\/h3>\n
What can we do to protect the beech forests of the Simbruini Mountains?<\/h3>\n
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Giving Nature a vo ly is the same as defending our future<\/h3>\n