Biobio River flowing downstream through trees.

Rivers Rights of Nature Campaigns

Campaigns advancing legal rights for rivers through community-led action, litigation, and policy reform across the globe.

https://www.earthlawcenter.org/regions

https://www.riverprotection.org/rivers-in-need-of-protection

Universal Declaration of River Rights

The Declaration draws from victories for the rights of rivers worldwide—from Colombia to New Zealand to the United States—as well as scientific understandings of healthy river systems. Governments across the world are already using the Declaration as a template for their legislative drafting.

You can sign the Declaration at the following link:
www.rightsofrivers.org

To learn more, visit:
www.earthlawcenter.org/river-rights

Cover of a publication titled 'Universal Declaration of the Rights of Rivers' with a blue wave pattern design and logos for Earth Law Center and International Rivers at the bottom.
EcoJurisprudence Monitor world map initiative screen shot

Visit the map

ecojurisprudence.org

Kauffman, Craig, Catherine Haas, Alex Putzer, Shrishtee Bajpai, Kelsey Leonard, Elizabeth Macpherson, Pamela Martin, Alessandro Pelizzon & Linda Sheehan. Eco Jurisprudence Monitor. V2. 2025. Distributed by the Eco Jurisprudence Monitor. https://ecojurisprudence.org.

Achievements:

Balkan Rivers:

Due in part to collective pressure from civil society—including a Bern Convention complaint—Serbia terminated an enormous mine in the Jadar Valley (although talks recently reopened).

https://www.earthlawcenter.org/balkan-rivers

https://serbia-business.eu/serbia-does-not-give-up-on-nature-mines-leave-harmful-consequences/‍ ‍

Aerial view of a river flowing through a lush green canyon with steep rocky cliffs on either side.
A panoramic view of a winding river in a lush green valley surrounded by rolling hills and mountains under a bright blue sky with scattered white clouds.

Africa - Nile River Basin:

Training program on Rights of Nature for InfoNile journalists. The world’s longest river, the Nile River Basin stretches through 11 countries in Africa and supports millions of people. One of the world’s most biodiverse regions, it is severely threatened by climate change, which is causing increasing disasters and worsening water scarcity for the region’s fast-growing population.

https://www.earthlawcenter.org/nile-river

Colorful satellite image of a river winding through a landscape with valleys, mountain ranges, and various terrain types in shades of purple, yellow, and green.
A river with a small boat floating on the water, with trees along the banks, and pyramids visible in the distance under a hazy sky.

Colorado:

Four successful river rights resolutions in the towns of Nederland, Grand Lake, Ridgway and Crestone.



https://www.earthlawcenter.org/rocky-mountains

Scenic landscape featuring pine trees in the foreground, snow-capped mountains in the distance, and a partly cloudy sky with patches of blue.

Peru - Marañón River:

Through an amicus curiae brief, ELC supported the amparo action by which the Kukama Federation of Women demanded the recognition of the Marañón River as a subject of rights. They obtained a successful Ruling in March 2024.

https://www.earthlawcenter.org/empowering-indigenous-women-nature-defenders

A serene mountain landscape featuring a clear, greenish lake in the foreground, surrounded by lush green trees and vegetation, with snow-capped mountains and a blue sky with a few clouds in the background.

In Progress:

Colorado:

Earth Law Center (ELC) works in the Rocky Mountains to recognize the rights of watersheds and give them a voice in law. A focal point is the Boulder Creek Watershed, building from the work of Boulder Rights of Nature—one of the first community Rights of Nature groups whose mission continues through ELC. We also work in other regions, including ELC’s home watershed, the San Juan.

https://www.earthlawcenter.org/rocky-mountains

A serene mountain landscape featuring a calm river in the foreground, tall evergreen trees on either side, rolling hills in the background, and a partly cloudy sky above.
A mountain landscape with a flowing stream, dense evergreen trees, rocky terrain, and a snow-capped mountain peak in the background.

Chile: 

  • Queco River: Let’s Make the Queuco River a Protected River

    Earth Law Center, International Rivers, ONG Defensa Ambiental, the Malen Leubü collective, and the Ríos Protegidos Coalition are working together to promote the protection of the Queuco River, a tributary of the Biobío. Building on the experience gained in defending the Biobío and in advancing Environmental Flow Reserve processes in the Puelo and Futaleufú rivers, we are moving forward with clear objectives: to advance the declaration of an Environmental Flow Reserve for the Queuco River; to strengthen territorial work with the communities of Alto Biobío; and to continue the work carried out in the territory to defend the environment, the rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the rights of nature.

    The Queuco River is one of the few rivers in the basin that still flows freely, without dams or reservoirs. It maintains its natural flow regime, high water quality, and plays a key role in biodiversity, serving as a refuge for native species and as an essential corridor for ecological connectivity in the Biobío basin. It also holds deep cultural significance for the Pewenche communities, who carry out traditional practices along its banks such as transhumance, araucaria pine nut gathering, fishing, and spiritual ceremonies. Protecting the Queuco means protecting a living river, its biodiversity, and the right of communities to preserve their culture and spiritual connection to their ancestral territory.

    https://www.earthlawcenter.org/queuco-river

Photo on left by Constanza; Photo on right by Dario Cuellar

  • Ríos Protegidos Initiative: The initiative's current efforts are focused on strengthening existing legal river protection mechanisms and advocating for new legislation with an ecocentric approach that considers the health of whole ecosystems. The proposed bill would introduce into law No. 21.600 the figure of "Río Protegido," establishing a major legal precedent for protection of Chilean rivers from certain harmful human activities and developments. https://www.earthlawcenter.org/rios-protegidos-initiative

Scenic view of lush green mountains, a winding river, and a cloudy sky with sunlight breaking through, taken from a high vantage point.
Scenic landscape with a flowing river, green trees, and mountain range under a cloudy sky.
A river flowing through a lush green forest with mountains and a bright blue sky with fluffy clouds in the background.
Mountain landscape with snow-capped peaks, a glacier, green vegetation, and a body of water in the foreground under a partly cloudy sky.

Lough Neah, Northern Ireland:

Supporting community-driven efforts to explore legal rights and self-ownership of Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland, the UK’s largest freshwater lake. https://www.earthlawcenter.org/lough-neagh

A lakeside scene with calm water, green trees along the bank, and a cloudy sky overhead.

Washington State:

Photo by forest2sea.com

A lush, green forest scene with tall trees, ferns, moss-covered logs, and a small reflective pond with sunlight filtering through the canopy.

Balkan Rivers: 

Una River: The Rights of the Una River project will elevate the voices of Bosnian citizens, particularly those who live along and depend on the river, empowering them to take a more formal role in shaping its future—including their potential role as legal guardians of the river.  https://www.earthlawcenter.org/balkan-rivers

Other River Protections: ELC advances ecocentric law in the Balkans, including supporting community partners in submitting Bern Convention complaints to protect wild rivers and ecosystems, including fighting the Skavica Dam on the Drin River in Albania. We also support Earth Thrive and others in Serbia to advance the rights of rivers. Finally, we are co-leading a campaign for the EU to stop classifying new hydropower as “renewable energy,” as it permanently destroys freshwater ecosystems. More imminently, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, we seek a permanent ban on new small hydropower plants. https://www.earthlawcenter.org/balkan-rivers

A scenic landscape of a winding river flowing through lush green hills and mountains under a partly cloudy sky.
A scenic view of rolling green hills and mountains under a partly cloudy sky with sunlight breaking through the clouds.

Africa - River Ethiope:

Initiative to establish legal rights for the River Ethiope in Nigeria. This river, sacred to local communities, is believed to be the deepest inland waterway in Africa. https://www.earthlawcenter.org/river-ethiope

A calm river flowing through a lush green landscape with trees and bushes on either side and a few boats and buildings visible in the distance under a cloudy sky.