“During Week on the Island last year, we organized a river rafting trip between Porchères and Savignac with the Trois Tiers collective (1). The idea was to look at the river in a different way and reconnect it to the area through the meetings of that time »…
“During Week on the Island last year, we organized a river rafting trip between Porchères and Savignac with the Trois Tiers collective (1). The idea was to look at the river in a different way and bring it back to the area through the meetings held at that time,” Sietavi President David Redon presents. This experience then led the tea union and the collective to respond to a call for projects related to social innovative projects from the Region, and their idea of creating a “Parliament of L’Isle” was considered interesting enough to receive an award. “We have two years to implement the project,” said David Redon.
But what is the “island parliament”? To put the river and its environment at the center and a place for citizen expression, open to anyone who feels concerned about the future of the watercourse, its environment and their protection: associations, elected officials, economic players, residents, users, etc. In the background, an ambitious goal emerges: to achieve the definition and recognition of a certain legal status. “In France, we think about the rights of nature everywhere. The question is how we can make Ada an arbitrary person under French law. Parliament’s aim is that in the next two years people will change their views and bring back the river. That this approach is appropriate for something participatory and does not fall into vertical regulation.
For example, the Loire
A meeting on this subject was organized last Saturday at the Porchères mill. A meeting where the writer and philosopher Camille de Toledo was invited to share his experience of participating in the project of creating the “Parliament of the Loire”. “We worked between 2019 and 2021 on how to find the anthropology and natural law of the Loire Valley. Inspired by what is done on the river in New Zealand Wanganui or Atrato Individuals who have obtained legal personality status in Colombia. This leads to the protection of a healthy environment by treating the population with respect and considering the future of future generations as promising,” the writer explained. The Mar Menor lagoon in Spain also received this status in 2021.
“In France, we are not at the forefront of this, but there are discussions and things are moving forward a bit,” Camille de Toledo said. The river charter was born from the “Parliament of the Loire”, “presented and discussed in the municipal councils. Links with upper and lower sectors were also established through various elected officials. The mayor of Turun declared the river an honorary citizen. The dimensions of the Loire were organized. They particularly noted the hitherto prohibited swimming permit or linking flood risks to ecosystems. “There is a strong search for connection with the river.” The initiators of the project around the island know what remains to be done.