Press Release
A Child Sues for the Loisach – Constitutional Complaint for the Rights of Nature

Munich / Hanover, 04 September 2025

The initiative Referendum “Rights of Nature” in Bavaria is preparing a constitutional complaint that exemplifies how nature could gain a legal voice in German law.

Under the title “A Child Sues for the Loisach”, the complaint highlights a serious legal gap:

• Nature has no enforceable rights of its own.
• Children are often only able to react when damage to their environment has already become irreversible.

Referendum and Constitutional Complaint – Two Paths, One Goal
The referendum “Rights of Nature”, which has been running in Bavaria since 2021, seeks to explicitly enshrine the protection of the natural environment in the Bavarian Constitution – with a perspective to extend this approach to all federal states. The constitutional complaint complements this political path with a legal approach: A child from Upper Bavaria is bringing a strategic case regarding the destruction of his river, the Loisach, caused by the Großweil shaft power plant.

Signal Effect Far Beyond Bavaria
The complaint draws on international developments – from the Whanganui River in New Zealand to the Mar Menor in Spain – and raises the question of how ecological foundations of life can be made legally enforceable within the German Basic Law. It is deliberately designed as a working and discussion draft: legally well-founded, but at the same time open to participation, support, and further development.

Quote – Hans Leo Bader, Co-Initiator of the Referendum “Rights of Nature”:
“The Loisach Complaint is not just a symbol, but a litmus test for our legal system. It shows where children and nature today remain without a voice – and how urgently we need an ecological legal order that protects our foundations of life.”

Background

• Since 2021, the referendum “Rights of Nature” has been underway in Bavaria.
• In parallel, initiatives are being prepared in other federal states.
• The working draft of the constitutional complaint will be presented for the first time at the conference “Rights of Nature” (2–4 October 2025, Hanover).
• The flyer for the event can be found here.

Contact for Inquiries
Hans Leo Bader
+49 177 760 66 60
info@DubistdieEr.de

This press release was published on openPR.
Responsible for this press release:
M.I.B – Media International Bader
Heisenbergstrasse 2b
80937 Munich
Germany

Hans Leo Bader
Owner
+49 89 33040506
webmaster@muc-mib.de

About the Organization
Citizens’ initiative to enshrine the Rights of Nature in the Bavarian Constitution through a referendum.

Press Contact
Rechte der Natur – Das Volksbegehren
Heisenbergstrasse 2b
80937 Munich
Germany

Hans Leo Bader
Authorized Representative
+49 177 760 6660
info@DubistdieEr.de
DubistdieEr.de