Understanding the Universal Declaration of Tree Rights

The Universal Declaration of Tree Rights sets out common principles intended to transform the relationship between human societies and trees. It is not limited to a particular legal mechanism, territory or form of protection.

This page explains its nature and universal scope, its relationship with the Rights of Nature movement, and its place within the broader framework formed by the Declaration, the Fifteen Commitments of Local and Regional Authorities, the Assembly of the Tree and the proposed International Convention on Tree Rights.

The Universal Declaration of Tree Rights does not constitute a particular legal, administrative or territorial mechanism. It is neither a protected area, nor a nature reserve, nor a land-tenure regime, nor a mechanism conferring legal personhood upon Trees.

It sets out common principles intended to transform humanity’s understanding of the Tree, so that it is no longer regarded merely as a resource, a feature of the landscape or an asset available for exploitation, but as a living being essential to Life and possessing intrinsic value.

This is precisely what makes the Declaration universal: it is not tied to any national legal system, territorial status or specific instrument of protection. It can therefore be recognised, interpreted and implemented in countries, cultures and legal systems that differ from one another.

It does not seek to impose an identical mechanism everywhere. It establishes a common foundation of principles from which each society may develop instruments suited to its laws, institutions, culture and territorial realities.

The Universal Declaration of Tree Rights is not the same as the Rights of Nature movement, although it shares the aim of moving beyond an exclusively utilitarian understanding of the living world.

The Rights of Nature movement encompasses a wide range of approaches. Some recognise rights belonging to rivers, forests, ecosystems or other natural entities. Some confer legal personhood upon them or establish mechanisms for their representation before institutions and courts.

The Declaration follows an autonomous approach. It does not confer legal personhood upon Trees and does not make the recognition of Tree Rights conditional upon the appointment of a legal representative or the existence of a territory benefiting from a particular legal status.

Tree Rights cannot therefore be reduced to a single legal technique. They first express a fundamental transformation in the relationship between human beings and trees, based on recognition of their living nature, their essential role in maintaining the Earth’s balances and their intrinsic value.

The Declaration may engage in dialogue with the Rights of Nature movement and with legal experiments developed in different countries, without thereby becoming a branch, derivative or institutional extension of that movement.

The Declaration is a universal foundation of principles. It affirms a common responsibility towards trees and recalls that the protection of the living world cannot rest solely upon their economic value, immediate usefulness or ownership.

It provides an ethical, scientific, democratic, legal, cultural and educational framework. It is intended to guide public decisions, territorial policies, economic practices, research, education and citizen participation.

The Declaration is not, in itself, a national law, a municipal regulation, an international treaty in force, a nature reserve or a land-tenure status. It does not replace existing instruments or abolish the powers of States, local authorities or other public institutions.

It gives these instruments a common direction: to recognise the Tree as a living being essential to Life and to establish the conditions necessary for its protection, respect, regeneration and transmission to future generations.

Depending on the context, implementation of the Declaration may be supported by constitutions, laws, regulations, judicial decisions, public policies, development plans, urban planning documents or biodiversity protection strategies.

It may also draw upon conservation mechanisms, protected-area designations, territorial charters, institutional commitments, customary practices, scientific programmes, educational initiatives or cultural projects.

These instruments are complementary, but they must not be confused with the Declaration itself. They may protect a territory, a natural environment, a tree heritage, a species, a forest or particular trees. The Declaration, by contrast, provides the overarching framework through which these different forms of action can be guided and connected.

A municipality, region, State, institution, university or organisation may therefore refer to the principles of the Declaration without being required to adopt the same legal mechanism as another jurisdiction.

Where a local or regional authority wishes, however, to proceed with an official adoption within the institutional framework of the Declaration, a specific procedure applies: the adoption must be prepared with La Compagnie des Papillons Bleus before any deliberation, resolution or signature, and adoption of the Declaration is inseparable from the simultaneous and full adoption of the Fifteen Commitments. Their implementation is then progressive and adapted to the authority’s powers, resources and territorial context.

This capacity for adaptation does not weaken its universality. On the contrary, it is one of the conditions that makes universality possible: common principles implemented through different means, in accordance with diverse legal systems and cultures.

The Universal Declaration of Tree Rights is the foundational text of a broader framework. Around it are several complementary instruments: the Fifteen Commitments of Local and Regional Authorities, the Assembly of the Tree and the proposed International Convention on Tree Rights.

These components fulfil distinct functions. The Declaration sets out universal principles. The Fifteen Commitments organise their progressive translation into action by authorities that officially adopt the Declaration. The Assembly of the Tree is a consultative, democratic and territorial instrument. The proposed International Convention on Tree Rights is intended, in the longer term, to develop the framework at international level.

5.1. The Universal Declaration of Tree Rights

5.2. The Fifteen Commitments of Local and Regional Authorities

5.3. The proposed International Convention on Tree Rights

5.4. The Assembly of the Tree

The Declaration is not intended to remain a symbolic or abstract text. It must be capable of inspiring concrete decisions.

Its recognition may lead to stronger protection for existing trees, better regulation of felling, preservation of soils, development of ecological connectivity, restoration of forests and landscapes, adaptation of cities to climate disruption, and greater integration of scientific knowledge into public policy.

It may also promote education about the Tree, the transmission of knowledge, citizen participation, consideration of local cultures and recognition of the material and symbolic bonds connecting human societies with trees.

Each territory remains free to determine the legal, administrative, scientific, educational and cultural instruments most appropriate to its circumstances. For local and regional authorities, this freedom of adaptation concerns implementation; it does not alter the requirement for simultaneous and full adoption of the Declaration and the Fifteen Commitments where an official adoption is undertaken within the institutional framework.

All can nevertheless recognise the same fundamental requirement: no longer to regard the Tree as a mere object available for use, but as a living and irreplaceable component of our shared world.

The universal nature of the Declaration does not mean that every society must act in the same way. It means that no society can consider itself exempt from the responsibility to protect trees and the living systems upon which humanity depends.

Further reading: consult the analysis of Article III — acting with the Tree in a spirit of fraternity and solidarity.

The Universal Declaration of Tree Rights therefore offers a common language capable of connecting scientific knowledge, legal principles, democratic decision-making, cultures and territorial practices.

It is not a closed model. It opens a common framework for thinking, deciding and acting.