- Terrasse-Vaudreuil, a Canadian town in Quebec, has officially recognized trees as living beings with their own rights, declaring they have "the right to life, to natural growth, to integrity and regeneration."
- The resolution was unanimously adopted by the town's council on June 9, with Mayor Michel Bourdeau calling trees "our biggest ally" in combating climate change.
- The town plans to review existing rules and bylaws to ensure trees are protected or replaced if cut down, emphasizing their role in reducing urban heat, improving air quality, and managing water.
- Mr Bourdeau said the local initiative was inspired by Quebec filmmaker André Desrochers, whose film convinced citizens that trees are living entities that breathe and communicate.
- Terrasse-Vaudreuil is the first municipality in Quebec and in Canada to sign on to the Universal Declaration of the Rights of the Tree, an international initiative written and initiated by Ricardo Rey, promoting the idea that trees are living beings essential to life on Earth.
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