Declaration of the Rights of the Venetian Lagoon and the Responsibilities of Its Inhabitants and Users

The fourth model law of the LUMEN project, by Silvia Bagni and Amilcare D’Andrea from the University of Bologna, recognizes the Venetian Lagoon as an ecosystem of intrinsic value, the result of millennia of interaction between natural components and human activities, including salt marshes, mudflats, channels, shallow waters, dunes, and embankments. The Declaration aims to protect the ecological integrity, biodiversity, life cycles, and cultural and biocultural heritage of the Lagoon, promoting a harmonious relationship between humans and the lagoon environment.

The Model recognizes the Lagoon’s right to exist, evolve according to its natural mechanisms, maintain its life cycles, remain free from pollution and waste, and transmit to future generations the historical, artistic, cultural, and natural heritage developed over the centuries. In the event of a violation of these rights, the ecosystem has the right to regeneration and restoration, or, if that is not possible, to compensation for damages.

The inhabitants and users of the Lagoon have the responsibility to respect and protect it, live in harmony with all its biotic and abiotic elements, promote sustainable development and agroecological practices, enhance cultural heritage, and actively participate in the management and monitoring of the ecosystem’s health, including through the body of the Lagoon Guardians, established to represent and safeguard the ecosystem.