Lewes adopts charter recognising rights of trees

A town in East Sussex has become the first in England to recognise the rights of all trees through an adopted charter.

Last week, Lewes Town Council (LTC) unanimouslyapproved a motion granting several rights to trees, including the right to life, to flourish, to be restored and to complete natural life cycles.

The motion, created by a number of groups working together since May, was guided by a toolkit developed by Dr Joanna Miller Smallwood, who leads the Environmental Justice Law Clinic at the University of Sussex.

She said: "We wanted to create a resource that all councils and communities can use. It strikes a chord - people really care about trees."

Smallwood said the charter, though not legally binding, would allow LTC to make representations in planning decisions with the rights of trees in mind.

She praised the authority for adopting a "rights of nature approach" which she hopes will continue to "change the conversation" around the protection of trees.

A spokesperson for LTC said trees "play a key role in the town's nature and local ecology".

They added: "They are living entities that have an important role in the town's wellbeing and climate resilience, something we were reminded of recently in summer's numerous heatwaves."

The toolkit prepared by the associate professor and her students over three years includes information around the current legal protections available for trees.

While Lewes is the first town to recognise the rights of all trees, other local authorities in Sussex have made similar commitments.

Last year, Rother District Council passed a motion backing rights for heritage trees, while Lewes District Council became the first authority in East Sussex to declare rights of rivers.

Dr Smallwood said expanding this out to all trees was a step forward for a country that was "one of the most nature depleted" in the world.

She added that for her students, many of whom had "climate anxiety", the approach taken by the local aithority offered something "quite hopeful".

The LTC spokesperson said taking on the principles of the charter was "a framework for better decision-making".

They added: "It doesn't mean every tree must live forever, and given that trees can't speak, make informed decisions or give instructions, the charter is accepting that we take on a degree of care and responsibility for decisions that trees cannot make for themselves."

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