Model Laws

Model Laws

The Model Laws section presents the results of the project’s “model law lab,” a research and dialogue space dedicated to translating the ecosystem approach into concrete and actionable legal tools. Here, policy guidelines and model laws are published in open access, offering innovative normative strategies to address the challenges of the Anthropocene and promote an integrated response to the ecological crisis.

Model Declaration of the Rights of the River
The model, developed by he Research Unit of the University of Trieste coordinated by prof. Serena Baldin and designed to be included as an annex to river contracts, aims to foster an empathetic civic awareness toward natural entities, recognizing rivers as living beings with their own specificities and needs. Structured in three parts—a preamble reflecting the values and motivations emerging from participatory processes, a central section outlining the river’s rights in line with the Universal Declaration on the Rights of Rivers, and a closing section defining the commitments of all parties involved—it serves as both a legal and educational tool to ensure a dignified life for water bodies.

MODEL FOR THE RECOGNITION OF THE RIGHTS OF NATURE

The Model, developed by experts Vito Comar from the Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados and Silvia Bagni from the University of Bologna and designed to be integrated into municipal policies and regulations, aims to promote a respectful and sustainable relationship with the natural environment, recognizing Nature as a rights-bearing entity and safeguarding its ecological integrity. The structure of the Model is organized into three main parts: a preamble that outlines the principles and motivations inspired by the Constitution and local traditional knowledge; a central section listing Nature’s fundamental rights, including the right to exist, regenerate, be restored, and remain free from contamination; and a final section defining the duties of public authorities, mechanisms for enforcement, the valorization of traditional knowledge, and the legal responsibilities of all involved parties. The document serves as both a legal and educational tool, intended to ensure the protection and respect of Nature while promoting ecological sustainability and intercultural civic participation.

Download the Model for the Recognition of the Rights of Nature

MODEL LAW ON THE RECOGNITION OF PEASANT AGRICULTURE, THE PROMOTION OF AGROECOLOGY, AND THE PROTECTION OF AGROBIODIVERSITY

The Model, developed by Silvia Bagni to promote and safeguard peasant agriculture, agroecology, and agricultural biodiversity, recognizes farmers, their practices, and local plant genetic resources as cultural and natural heritage to be protected. The law aims to enhance peasant agriculture as a form of ecologically sustainable and socially equitable agricultural production, capable of preserving agro-ecosystems, non-human species, biodiversity, and the interdependent relationships among all actors within the agricultural system. In this context, peasant agriculture is considered intangible cultural heritage of humanity and the nation, to be protected and transmitted to future generations, while local plant genetic resources are recognized as commons, freely accessible and exchangeable by farmers without administrative burdens or intellectual property claims.
The Model also safeguards farmers’ rights to select, reproduce, and use local varieties through participatory and evolutionary practices, promoting the regeneration of agro-ecosystem life cycles and the food sovereignty of communities. States and public institutions are called upon to ensure the ex situ and in situ conservation of plant genetic resources, supporting public research and conservation programs, and to protect traditional knowledge through legally binding digital libraries and mechanisms to oppose illegitimate patents.

Download the Model Declaration on the Rights and Protection of Peasant Agriculture and Agrobiodiversity

DECLARATION OF THE RIGHTS OF THE VENETIAN LAGOON AND THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF ITS INHABITANTS AND USERS

The Model, developed by Silvia Bagni and Amilcare D’Andrea, 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. Should these rights be violated, 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 its health, including through the body of the Lagoon Guardians, established to represent and safeguard the ecosystem.

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

NextGenerationEU

PRIN 2022 PNRR “LUMEN - Law of nature and human ecosystem approach: modelling a transcultural eco-legal framework”, P.I. prof.ssa S. Bagni, Università degli Studi di Bologna, finanziato dall'Unione Europea – NextGenerationEU a valere sul Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza (PNRR) – Missione 4 Istruzione e ricerca – Componente 2 Dalla ricerca all’impresa – Investimento 1.1, Avviso PRIN 2022 PNRR DD n. 1409 del 14 settembre 2022, codice proposta P20222H49L – CUP J53D23018680001.