Canadian Town Calls Trees Its 'Biggest Ally', Grants Them Rights As Living Beings

A small Canadian town is taking a unique step to protect nature by giving trees special recognition. The move aims to highlight the importance of trees and strengthen efforts to preserve them for future generations, reported CBC News.

A town west of Montreal has decided to officially recognise trees as living beings with rights of their own, in what an environmental organisation describes as a first in Quebec and Canada.

A resolution adopted by Terrasse-Vaudreuil city council on June 9 declares that trees are worthy of protection, including the right to life, natural growth, integrity and regeneration.

Mayor Michel Bourdeau said Quebec filmmaker Andre Desrochers inspired the community to take action.

He said Desrochers' film, Des arbres et des arts, convinced citizens that trees are living entities that breathe and communicate with each other through their root systems.

Bourdeau said a tree is like a human being because it breathes, lives, takes in water and protects people from many things.

The International Observatory of Nature Rights said the town of about 2,000 also became the first municipality in Quebec and Canada to sign the Universal Declaration of the Rights of the Tree, an international initiative led by environmental groups.

Its three main articles state that trees are living beings and a common human good, that life on Earth depends on their existence, and that humans must act in fraternity and solidarity with them.

Bourdeau said the new resolution means the town will review its existing rules and bylaws to ensure that trees are protected or replaced if they must be cut down. He also plans to introduce measures to increase the tree canopy, including offering trees for residents to plant.

He said trees are a true green infrastructure because they help reduce urban heat islands, improve air quality, manage precious water resources and protect biodiversity.

Bourdeau said the move was adopted unanimously by councillors and appears to be popular with residents as well. He added that he does not expect it to cause problems, such as interfering with development, partly because the town has no more vacant land available for construction.

He said his town is a natural fit to become a tree ambassador because it is built in the woods and its citizens value a rural lifestyle. He added that residents are also well aware of the damage caused by extreme weather and climate change after experiencing flooding three times in recent years.

Bourdeau said that when it comes to fighting climate change, their biggest ally is the trees.

Yenny Vega Cardenas, president of the International Observatory of Nature Rights, said the declaration on tree rights is part of the same movement that has seen jurisdictions around the world, from New Zealand to Colombia, grant legal personhood to rivers and other natural areas.