The charter was celebrated at a community event at the Hay-on-Wye literary festival on Sunday. It includes the right to flow, to biodiversity, to be free from pollution, to be supported by a healthy catchment, to regenerate, and the right to be represented. Campaigners have called the recognition a ‘significant step’ in protecting and restoring one of Britain’s most popular rivers.
The River Wye flows from the Cambrian Mountains in Wales to Chepstow on the border with England, where it empties into the Bristol Channel. In recent years, intensive agriculture – particularly chicken farming – has caused massive algal blooms and a drastic decline in water quality. Environmental groups have repeatedly taken legal action over the pollution.
The charter is not legally binding but is intended to serve as a moral and political compass for future decisions by authorities, landowners, and businesses. The idea comes from the international ‘Rights of Nature’ movement, which grants ecosystems their own legal status – similar to rivers in New Zealand, Ecuador, or India.
Source: www.theguardian.com
