The Rechtsperson Reuss association has been named “outstanding member of the month” by the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN) for its Reuss initiative and honored with a feature on its website.

GARN is a global network of organizations and individuals working to promote the universal adoption and implementation of legal systems that recognize, respect, and enforce the “rights of nature.
“Instead of treating nature as property in legal terms, it is time to recognize that natural communities have the right to exist, maintain their life cycles, and regenerate.” 
GARN members form a diverse network of professionals and activists in over 100 countries on six continents—North and South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia—who want to change the relationship between humans and planet Earth.
Legal entity Reuss / Reuss Initiative: GARN Member of the Month

The Reuss Initiative committee has submitted 5,460 certified signatures to the government building of the canton of Lucerne.
The collection began on April 26, 2025, on the banks of the Reuss. The initiative committee has had the necessary 5,000 signatures since November 2025.
After submission, the cantonal council will determine whether the initiative has been successful in accordance with § 141 of the Voting Rights Act (StRG).
Within one year of the initiative's approval being published, the cantonal council must submit a message and draft to the cantonal parliament for its opinion in accordance with § 82b of the Cantonal Parliament Act.
Markus Schärli, president of the Association Rechtsperson Reuss, thanked the supporters and collectors present for their commitment.
 The many hours spent on the streets talking to citizens had shown that more and more people are aware that nature in general, and waterways in particular, can no longer do without the protection of their own legal personality and fundamental rights. “Some of the waterways in the canton of Lucerne are in a desolate state because the Water Protection Act is not being complied with and is not being enforced by the canton.”
There were many exciting and surprising encounters during the collection. For example, there was a woman from the city who said that her sister from the countryside filled bottles with tap water at her house every week because the drinking water in her village was contaminated with chlorothalonil. Or the fishermen who enthusiastically signed the petition because they know that numerous fish species no longer exist in our waters and others are barely reproducing due to the pollutants in the water. Many of those who signed the petition have realized that if nature continues to be exploited as a commodity instead of being regarded as an entity with its own rights, humans will destroy their own livelihoods. “If we grant legal personality to abstract legal constructs such as corporations, how much more should we grant this right to living nature?”

Photo credit: Marianne Schulze / Rechtsperson Reuss