PRESS RELEASE - Panama's Supreme Court Upholds Rights of Nature, Declares Country's Largest Copper Mine Unconstitutional

PANAMA’S SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS RIGHTS OF NATURE,  DECLARES COUNTRY’S LARGEST COPPER MINE UNCONSTITUTIONAL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 29, 2023

Contacts:

• Juan Diego Vásquez Gutiérrez, Congressman - Panamanian Parliament (jvasquez@asamblea.gob.pa, +507 6980-6821)

• Callie Annette Veelenturf, The Leatherback Project (callie@leatherbackproject.org, +1 (508) 315-9464)

• Constanza Prieto Figleist, Earth Law Center (cfigelist@earthlaw.org, +1 (202) 621-3877) 

• Rachel Bustamante, Earth Law Center (rbustamante@earthlaw.org, +1 (240) 490-0219)

Panama City, Panama: On November 28, 2023, Panama’s Supreme Court unanimously ruled the Cobré Panamá copper mine unconstitutional, following weeks of nationwide protests. According to President Laurentino Cortizo, a process to close the mine will soon commence. The Court’s decision references the national Rights of Nature law, Law 287, passed in February 2022, among its rationale for ruling against the mine. The ruling represents a landmark victory for the burgeoning Rights of Nature movement, which seeks to recognize that Nature has basic rights under the law, just as humans do. 

In a clear application of Panama’s Rights of Nature law, the court took an ecocentric perspective, reaffirming that Nature is a subject of rights, including ensuring Nature is protected, restored, and can regenerate its life cycles. In accordance with these rights, the court affirmed that the government of Panama is required to develop “necessary public policies to ensure ‘the highest interest of Nature,’ now for its intrinsic value, and regardless of the utilitarian value it has for human beings.” The court then determined that the mining contract did not meet these standards because it failed to include strict measures to prevent environmental damage.

Congressman Juan Diego Vásquez Gutiérrez, an independent politician who is the youngest Panamanian Congressperson, introduced the national Rights of Nature law to Panama's National Assembly. He said:

“I am very happy to have been part of a fundamental legal instrument to end the metal mining industry in the country. This is one of many tangible effects that we must repeat in defense of the environment thanks to legislation like this.“

The public outcry began in October following the government’s renegotiated contract with a Canadian mining company, First Quantam Minerals, that would have extended mining operations for the next 20 years in the biodiverse Colón Province near the Caribbean coast. Opponents claimed expanded exploration would further degrade coastal rainforests that supply freshwater to the region, harming the Indigenous population and endangered species including the Geminis’ poison dart frog (Andinobates geminisae) and several bird species. 

When asked the significance of this ruling to the Rights of Nature movement, Callie Veelenturf, marine conservation biologist, National Geographic Explorer, and Founder of The Leatherback Project, who originally proposed the concept of a new Rights of Nature law in Panama to Congressman Juan Diego Vásquez, stated:

“The Supreme Court’s reference to Panama’s Rights of Nature law carries significant weight and exemplifies for the world a tangible example of how Rights of Nature laws, inspired and informed by science, can be used to protect Nature. I am exuding with hope for the future of nature conservation in Panama, including the implementation of Panama’s new sea turtle conservation Law 371, which also includes the recognition of the intrinsic rights of sea turtles. I greatly admire the indomitable people of Panama for defending Nature with such determination and persistence.” 

This win for Rights of Nature implementation comes after a similar blocking of a copper mine earlier this year in Ecuador, where a provincial court ruled a mining project violated the constitutional Rights of Nature in the Intag Valley of the Tropical Andes. Additionally, in 2022, the Convention on Biological Diversity became the first international agreement to include the Rights of Nature, producing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework as one approach to meeting the 23 action targets for biodiversity protection over the next decade. Panama’s recent ruling aligns with the biodiversity treaty’s objectives to reduce the loss of biodiverse areas (Target 1) and human induced extinction to threatened species (Target 4). 

Constanza Prieto Figelist, Latin America Legal Director at Earth Law Center, which provided input and expertise on the Rights of Nature during the legislative drafting process, commented:

“This case demonstrates that under a Rights of Nature framework, governments must give stronger consideration to the health and intrinsic value of Nature when overseeing mining and other activities, elevating the interests of species and ecosystems to a higher status alongside human interests. The case also demonstrates that the Rights of Nature is an effective tool to protect the environment where traditional laws might fall short. We hope this will inspire other governments to give Nature a formal voice and rights in the legal system, as Panama did.” 

Panama has become a world leader in the larger movement to recognize the Rights of Nature and was the third country to recognize the Rights of Nature on a national level. Globally, Rights of Nature is now recognized at some level of government in about 30 countries. For example, in 2008, Ecuador became the first country in the world to constitutionally recognize the Rights of Nature. Just this year, the rights of the Ocean or “Ocean Rights” was presented to the United Nations General Assembly,  Spain recognized the Mar Menor saltwater lagoon as a legal entity with legal rights, and seven municipal and county governments in Washington State (USA) recognized the rights of the Southern Resident Orcas, an endangered species, in an important step toward protecting them and their habitat, the Salish Sea. Panama is expected to continue implementing the Rights of Nature in its legal system in the coming years. 

---

The Leatherback Project (https://www.leatherbackproject.org) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of the massive leatherback sea turtle throughout its global range through research, education and advocacy initiatives aimed at mitigating fisheries bycatch, reducing plastic pollution and combating climate change. While studying sea turtles in Panama, Founder and Executive Director of The Leatherback Project, Callie Veelenturf, originally brought the concept of Rights of Nature to Juan Diego Vasquez as a proposal for a new law. 

Earth Law Center (www.earthlawcenter.org) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization working to advance laws and policies that restore nature to health. They advocate for a transformation in our legal, governance, and economic systems, and the relationships, values, and ethics that create their foundation. Earth Law Center is a member of the United Nations’ Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, an expert and partner of the UN Harmony with Nature Initiative, and a member of the High Seas Alliance. 

House of Representatives of Rhode Island supports recognizing the rights of natural communities and ecosystems in the Ocean State

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 16th, 2023

Contacts: Michelle Bender (mbender@earthlaw.org, +1 509 218 9338)

Johan Strid (Johan.strid@theoceanrace.com, + 46 708 85 36 46)

Providence, RI (May 16th, 2023)— Last week, on May 9th, the House of Representatives of Rhode Island approved a resolution welcoming The Ocean Race, recognizing the rights of their communities to live in a healthy and clean environment, and recognizing the rights of natural communities and ecosystems within Rhode Island to exist, flourish, evolve, regenerate, recover, and be restored in the state of Rhode Island.

“Once again, Newport is thrilled to welcome the Ocean Race to our City by the Sea. Additionally, the wellbeing of Rhode Islanders is inextricably linked with the health and integrity of the Ocean, including the physical systems, ecosystems, and species. Rhode Islanders recognize that our natural environment is one of our most valuable cultural and economic assets not just locally, but nationally and globally; bringing more than 12 million annual visitors, our blue economy alone generates approximately $5 billion and 36,500 jobs,” said Newport Representative Lauren Carson. Carson and Representative Terri Cortvriend, (Portsmouth and Middletown) introduced the House resolution.

“Rhode Island once again has the honor of hosting the 2023 Ocean Race which is on a six-month journey to circumnavigate the globe, making stops in only eight cities worldwide and a fly by at one additional city, and we were chosen for the start of Leg 5 of the race,” said Representative Terri Cortvriend. “This event also reminds us once again that Rhode Island must regularly evaluate whether its plans, laws, and programs are sufficient to meet the growing environmental crisis, including climate change and biodiversity loss, and we must explore all means of addressing them.”

With over 400 miles of coastline, Rhode Island is known as ‘the Ocean State.’ The resolution recognizes the importance of Rhode Island's blue economy and the steps the State must take to protect its biodiversity. In the last fifty years, national and state governments have made efforts to address the crisis by adopting specific environmental protection laws, such as the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act. While these laws set limits on pollution and consumption, there remains a pressing need to ensure the long-term protection of our right to clean air, water, and soil, sustainable food systems, and the rights of natural ecosystems.

“The support by Representatives Carson and Cortvriend is honestly a dream come true. The Rights of Nature movement actually began in the United States in 2006 and has really exploded at the local level, with dozens of resolutions and ordinances now being enforced,” says Michelle Bender, Ocean Campaigns Director at the Earth Law Center. “We hope this is just the first step for not only Rhode Island, but other States and the U.S. as a whole to protect and restore ocean health. We have one Ocean, regardless of the imaginary boundaries that are drawn between states or countries, she ebbs and flows beyond them and is therefore the shared responsibility and common heritage of all humankind. This is why it is necessary to gain support by governments worldwide to recognize the Ocean’s unique rights and characteristics and break down the jurisdictional hurdles with a shared vision and ethical foundation for how we value and interact with the Ocean.”

“The Ocean Race is a race for the ocean. Together with teams, sponsors and policy makers all over the world, we race to safeguard the ocean. As sports people, we like fair rules and fair play, but there is no fair play with the ocean, as our sailors witness as they sail across the planet in The Ocean Race. So we need fair rules and sharper governance to allow the ocean to thrive. Together with policy makers all around the world we work for a universal recognition of the inherent rights of nature, and of the ocean. The decision made at the State House here in Rhode Island today is one significant step on this route.” Richard Brisius, Chairman The Ocean Race

The first Newport stopover in The Ocean Race was hosted by Sail Newport during the 2014–15 edition and the fleet returned again for the 2017–18 race, making the 2022–23 Newport stop the city’s third consecutive participation in the around-the-world race. The Ocean Race event had a wide-ranging economic and tourism impact on the community. The 2015 stopover generated an estimated $47.7 million to the Ocean State’s economy. Both previous visits of The Ocean Race to Sail Newport drew large visitor numbers, with over 137,000 people in the race village at Fort Adams in 2015 and over 100,000 in 2018.

El Tribunal Constitucional de Ecuador Hace Cumplir los Derechos de la Naturaleza para Salvaguardar a Bosque Protector

Contacto:

Constanza Prieto Figelist, Earth Law Center, cpfigelist@earthlaw.org,

+1 (202) 621-3877

Natalia Greene, Alianza Global por los Derechos de la Naturaleza +593 99 944 3724, nati.greene@gmail.com

Alejandro Olivera, Centro de Diversidad Biológica,+52 612 1040604, aolivera@biologicaldiversity.org

QUITO, Ecuador— En un caso sin precedentes, la Corte Constitucional de Ecuador ha aplicado la disposición constitucional sobre los Derechos de la Naturaleza para salvaguardar el bosque nuboso Los Cedros de las concesiones mineras. La Corte votó 7 a favor y 2 abstenciones.

La decisión, que fue publicada el 1 de diciembre, la Corte decidió que las actividades que atentan contra los derechos de la naturaleza no deben realizarse dentro del ecosistema del Bosque Protegido Los Cedros. El fallo prohíbe la minería y todo tipo de actividades extractivas en el área protegida. También se deben negar los permisos de agua y ambientales a las empresas mineras.

Se han otorgado concesiones mineras a dos tercios de la increíble reserva Los Cedros. La minera estatal ecuatoriana ENAMI y sus socios canadienses, Cornerstone Capital Resources y BHP, tienen licencias de explotación minera. El nuevo fallo ordena la cancelación de las concesiones mineras, los permisos ambientales y de uso y aprovechamiento de  agua en el bosque.

Asimismo, la Corte impone de manera clara e inequívoca  una serie de órdenes al Ministerio del Ambiente, Agua y Transición Ecológica con objeto de garantizar y dar cumplimiento efectivo de la sentencia y los derechos de la Naturaleza. Dentro de las resoluciones destacamos que la Corte ordena al Ministerio: promover la construcción de un plan participativo para la gestión y cuidado del Bosque Protector Los Cedros, la modificación del plan de manejo de Bosque Protector los Cedros, deber de asumir el rol de asegurar el respeto de los Derechos de la Naturaleza y el derecho al ambiente sano. Además ordena adecuar la normativa infralegal correspondiente a la emisión de registros ambientales y licencias ambientales y de uso y aprovechamiento del agua para la realización de actividades extractivas, a fin de evitar vulneraciones a los Derechos de la Naturaleza como en el caso de los Cedros. Esta es quizás la sentencia que más claramente detalla los efectos de la Derechos de la Naturaleza respecto de las autoridades administrativas

“Este caso que sienta un precedente es importante no solo para Ecuador sino también para la comunidad internacional”, dijo Alejandro Olivera, científico senior y representante de México en el Centro para la Diversidad Biológica. “Este fallo progresista e innovador reconoce que la naturaleza puede y tiene derechos. Protege la vida silvestre en peligro de Los Cedros, como los monos araña de cabeza marrón en peligro de extinción y los osos de anteojos, de las empresas mineras”.

En septiembre de 2020, Earth Law Center, Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature, el Center for Biological Diversity e e International Rivers presentaron un amicus curiae (amigo de la corte) escrito ante la Corte Constitucional ecuatoriana. Las organizaciones solicitaron a la Corte que proteja a Los Cedros y haga cumplir enérgicamente las disposiciones constitucionales que establecen los Derechos de la Naturaleza o “pachamama”, incluido el derecho a existir, el derecho a la restauración y los derechos de los ríos, especialmente el río Magdalena.

“Esta es una victoria histórica a favor de la naturaleza. La Corte Constitucional señala que dentro del ecosistema del Bosque de Protección Los Cedros no se puede desarrollar ninguna actividad que atente contra los Derechos de la Naturaleza, incluida la minería y cualquier otra actividad extractiva. La minería ahora está prohibida en este bosque protegido increíble y único. Esto sienta un gran precedente jurídico para continuar con otros Bosques Protegidos amenazados. Hoy, las ranas en peligro de extinción, los osos de anteojos, el mono araña, los pájaros y la naturaleza en su conjunto han ganado una batalla sin precedentes”, dice Natalia Greene de la Alianza Global por los Derechos de la Naturaleza.

“Sin duda es una buena noticia, pero la situación del Bosque Protector Los Cedros no es un evento aislado en Ecuador”, dijo Constanza Prieto Figelist, líder legal latinoamericano en Earth Law Center. “Este es un problema de los bosques en todo el país. En los últimos años, se han otorgado concesiones mineras que se superponen con los Bosques Protectores”.

El mono araña de cabeza marrón, encontrado en Los Cedros y amenazado por la minería, ha perdido más del 80% de su área original de distribución en el noroeste de Ecuador. En 2005, los científicos estimaron que había menos de 250 monos araña de cabeza marrón en todo el mundo, lo que coloca a la especie entre los 25 primates más amenazados del mundo.

El caso es de gran trascendencia, tanto para Ecuador como para el mundo, porque establece una importante e influyente Jurisprudencia de la Tierra que ayudará a guiar a la humanidad a ser un beneficio en lugar de una presencia destructiva dentro de la comunidad de vida. La minería propuesta es ilegal  porque viola los derechos del Bosque Protector Los Cedros como ecosistema, así como los derechos de los muchos miembros de esa comunidad.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Earth Law Center. https://www.earthlawcenter.org. Es una organización no gubernamental, con sede en los Estados Unidos de Norteamérica, México y Canadá que promueve la aplicación de los Derechos de la Naturaleza a nivel local e internacional, creando alianzas con organizaciones locales para el reconocimiento y la promulgación de leyes que reconozcan los derechos inherentes de los ríos, océanos y ecosistemas costeros y terrestres. Así, busca hacer un cambio de paradigma, luchando por el reconocimiento formal de los derechos de la naturaleza a existir, prosperar y evolucionar. Earth Law Center busca otorgar a los ecosistemas los mismos derechos que se le reconocen a las personas y a las corporaciones, permitiéndole la defensa de sus derechos ante las cortes nacionales e internacionales, no solo en beneficio de las personas sino por la naturaleza en sí misma.

La Alianza Global por los Derechos de la Naturaleza (GARN) https://www.earthlawcenter.org. Es una dinámica y diversa red global de organizaciones, comunidades e individuos comprometidos con la adopción e implementación universal de sistemas legales que reconocen, respetan y hacen cumplir los "Derechos de la Naturaleza" y promoviendo la transformación de cómo los seres humanos se relacionan con la Madre Tierra. Los miembros de GARN son una red de organizaciones, de científicos, abogados, economistas, líderes indígenas, autores, líderes espirituales, políticos, actores, líderes empresariales, amas de casa, estudiantes y activistas de más de 100 países, de seis continentes de América del Norte y del Sur, África, Europa, Asia y Australia, que buscan transformar la relación humana con el planeta.

El Centro para la Diversidad Biológica (“el Centro”). https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/espanol. Es una organización sin fines de lucro con más de 1.7 millones de miembros y constituyentes. El Centro tiene su sede en Estados Unidos y oficinas en Estados Unidos y México. Durante dos décadas, el Centro y sus miembros han trabajado para asegurar la protección de las especies en peligro y su hábitat bajo leyes estatales, federales y tratados internacionales debido al creciente número de amenazas a la biodiversidad, como los problemas globales del cambio climático, destrucción del hábitat y el comercio de vida silvestre. El Centro cree que la salud y el vigor de las sociedades humanas y la integridad y la naturaleza salvaje del entorno natural están estrechamente vinculados. El Centro también ha trabajado intensamente para prevenir actividades destructivas como la minería comercial en hábitats sensibles e importantes.

International Rivers, https://www.internationalrivers.org. Se dedica desde 1985 a la protección de ríos y a la defensa de los derechos de las comunidades que dependen de ellos. Trabajamos para detener proyectos destructivos en los ríos y promover soluciones energéticas y de provisión de agua para un planeta sostenible. Los ríos son vitales para sostener toda la vida en la tierra. Buscamos un mundo donde los ríos sean saludables y los derechos de las comunidades locales sean valorados y protegidos. Visualizamos un mundo donde las necesidades de agua y energía se satisfacen sin degradar la naturaleza o aumentar la pobreza, y donde las personas tienen derecho a participar en las decisiones que afectan sus vidas.

The Great Lakes Environmental Center (https://www.glec.com/) es una organización no gubernamental basada en Detroit, Estados Unidos, que ofrece a la comunidad educación, apoyo legal y jurídico en problemáticas medioambientales. Además, de ofrecer diversos servicios jurídicos, desarrollo de normativo y en temáticas medioambientales relacionados con los recursos naturales y energía que afectan a las comunidades en y los alrededores de Detroit, en todo Michigan y la región de los grandes lagos.

Ecuador’s Constitutional Court Enforces Constitutional Rights of Nature to Safeguard Los Cedros Protected Forest

Contact:

• Constanza Prieto Figelist, Earth Law Center,+1 (202) 621-3877 cpfigelist@earthlaw.org

• Natalia Greene, Alianza Global por los Derechos de la Naturaleza, +593 99 944 3724, nati.greene@gmail.com

• Alejandro Olivera, Centro de Diversidad Biológica, +52 612 1040604, aolivera@biologicaldiversity.org

For Immediate Release: December 2, 2021 

# # # 

QUITO, ECUADOR — In an unprecedented ruling, the Constitutional Court of Ecuador has applied Ecuador's constitutional provision on the “Rights of Nature” to safeguard Los Cedros Protected Forest from mining concessions. The Court voted 7 in favor and 2 abstentions.

With the ruling, published on December 1st, the Constitutional Court ordered that activities that threaten the Rights of Nature should not be carried out within Los Cedros Protected Forest, thereby prohibiting mining and all types of extractive activities. Water and environmental permits to mining companies will now also be denied. 

Two-thirds of the reserve is covered by mining concessions granted to the Ecuadorian state mining company, ENAMI, and its Canadian partner, Cornerstone Capital Resources. The Constitutional Court agreed to hear the case in May 2020.

The Court's decision also imposes a series of orders on the Ministry of the Environment, Water and Ecological Transition to comply with the decision. These include orders for the Ministry to help construct a participatory plan for managing the Los Cedros Protected Forest and to ensure respect for the Rights of Nature and the right to a healthy environment. The Court also ordered the government to adopt regulations so that the future issuance of environmental records and licenses and the use of water for extractive activities avoid violating the Rights of Nature, as in the case of Los Cedros. 

Overall, this decision clearly details the effects of the Rights of Nature for administrative authorities in a way that was unprecedented.

“This case is emblematic not only for Ecuador but also for the international community,” said Alejandro Olivera, senior scientist and Mexico representative at the Center for Biological Diversity. “This progressing and innovative ruling protects the imperiled wildlife, such as the endangered brown-headed spider monkeys and endangered spectacled bears, from mining companies.”

In September 2020, Earth Law Center, the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature, the Center for Biological Diversity, International Rivers, and the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center ("Coalition") filed an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief (Spanish; English) before the Ecuadorian Constitutional Court. The brief asked the Court to protect Los Cedros and robustly enforce constitutional provisions that establish the Rights of Nature, or “Pachamama,” including the rights to exist, to restoration, and the unique rights of rivers, especially the Magdalena River.

"This is a historic victory in favor of Nature. The Constitutional Court states that no activity that threatens the Rights of Nature can be developed within the ecosystem of Los Cedros Protected Forest, including mining and any other extractive activity. Mining is now banned within this amazing and unique protected forest. This sets a great juridical precedent to continue with other threatened Protected Forests. Today, the endangered frogs, the spectacled bears, the spider monkey, the birds, and Nature as a whole have won an unprecedented battle”, says Natalia Greene from the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature. 

“It is undoubtedly good news, but the situation of Los Cedros Protected Forest is not an isolated event in Ecuador,” said Constanza Prieto Figelist, Latin American Legal Director at Earth Law Center. “This is a problem of the forests throughout the country. In recent years, many mining concessions that overlap with Protective Forests have been awarded.”

The brown-headed spider monkey, found in Los Cedros, has lost more than 80% of its original area of distribution in northwest Ecuador. In 2005, it was estimated that there were fewer than 250 brown-headed spider monkeys globally, granting the species a place among the top 25 most endangered primates in the world.

The groups note that the case is of great significance, both for Ecuador and the world, because it has the potential to establish important and influential “Earth jurisprudence” that will help guide humanity to be a benefit rather than a destructive presence within the community of life. The proposed mining is unlawful, the Coalition say, because it violates the rights of the Los Cedros Protected Forest as an ecosystem as well as the rights of the many members of that living community.

# # #

Earth Law Center (https://www.earthlawcenter.org) is a non-governmental organization based in the United States of America, Mexico, and Canada that promotes the application of the Rights of Nature at the local and international levels. The organization creates alliances with local organizations to recognize and promulgate laws that recognize the inherent rights of rivers, oceans, and coastal and terrestrial ecosystems. Thus, it seeks to make a paradigm shift, fighting for the formal recognition of the rights of nature to exist, prosper and evolve. Earth Law Center aims to grant ecosystems the same rights recognized to people and corporations, allowing them to defend their rights before national and international courts, not only for the benefit of people but also for nature itself.

The Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN) (https://www.earthlawcenter.org) is a dynamic and diverse global network of organizations, communities, and individuals committed to the universal adoption and implementation of legal systems that recognize, respect, and enforce the Rights of Nature and promote the transformation of how human beings relate to nature. Mother Earth. The members of GARN are a network of organizations, scientists, lawyers, economists, indigenous leaders, authors, spiritual leaders, politicians, actors, business leaders, housewives, students, and activists from more than 100 countries, from six continents of America from North and South, Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia, who seek to transform the human relationship with the planet.

The Center for Biological Diversity (“the Center”) (https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/espanol) is a non-profit organization with more than 1.7 million members and constituents. The Center is headquartered in the United States and has offices in the United States and Mexico. For two decades, the Center and its members have worked to protect endangered species and their habitats under state, federal laws, and international treaties due to the increasing number of threats to biodiversity, such as the global problems of climate change, destruction of habitat, and wildlife trade. The Center believes that the health and vigor of human societies and the integrity and wilderness of the natural environment are closely linked. The Center has also worked intensively to prevent destructive activities such as commercial mining in sensitive and important habitats.

International Rivers (https://www.internationalrivers.org) It has been dedicated since 1985 to the protection of rivers and to the defense of the rights of the communities that depend on them. They work to stop destructive projects on rivers and promote energy and water supply solutions for a sustainable planet. Rivers are vital to sustain all life on earth. A world is sought where rivers are healthy and the rights of local communities are valued and protected. We envision a world where water and energy needs are met without degrading nature or increasing poverty, and where people have the right to participate in the decisions that affect their lives.

The Great Lakes Environmental Law Center (https://www.glelc.org) is a non-governmental organization based in Detroit, United States, which offers the community education, legal and legal support on environmental issues. In addition to providing a variety of legal, policy development and environmental services related to natural resources and energy that affect communities in and around Detroit, throughout Michigan and the Great Lakes region.

Mujeres Kukama dicen que su río Marañón es un ser vivo: Demanda pionera presentada en Perú

Huaynakana Kamatahuara kana, una federación de mujeres Kukama en el bajo Valle del Marañón, ha presentado una acción legal pionera exigiendo que el gobierno peruano reconozca su río como una persona jurídica, o "Ser Vivo". Una coalición de organizaciones nacionales e internacionales, incluido el Instituto de Defensa Legal, International Rivers y el Earth Law Center, brindan asistencia y apoyo legal. Una coalición de abogados y académicos canadienses ha presentado un amicus curiae en defensa de la petición.

Para muchos pueblos indígenas como los Kukamas, sus ríos son seres vivos con derechos que deben ser reconocidos y protegidos. El río Marañón es la fuente de alimento, agua y transporte del pueblo Kukama; también es el centro de su universo espiritual. Después de ver cómo su río sufría contaminación durante décadas, especialmente por derrames de petróleo sistémicos que han destruido su frágil ecosistema y sus pesquerías, las mujeres Kukama decidieron emprender acciones legales.

El 8 de septiembre la federación de mujeres y sus abogados de IDL iniciaron una acción judicial en un tribunal peruano para que se reconociera a su río como persona jurídica. La petición demanda a varias entidades gubernamentales de violar los derechos fundamentales del río Marañón, entre ellas Petroperú, la estatal petrolera, el Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y el Ministerio de Energía y Minas.

Huaynakana fue fundada en 2001 para promover los derechos de las mujeres Kukama-Kukamiria y proteger su medio ambiente y cultura. La federación representa a mujeres de 28 comunidades indígenas en el distrito de Parinari en el río Marañón en la región amazónica del norte de Perú.

Abogados y académicos canadienses de tres universidades presentaron un amicus curiae en la corte peruana el 29 de septiembre para respaldar la demanda de Huayanakana. El documento muestra cómo varios gobiernos provinciales han reconocido el derecho de los pueblos indígenas a administrar sus propios recursos. El amicus describe la creciente importancia de la ley indígena dentro del proceso de evaluación del impacto ambiental en Canadá.

Detalles de la acción legal de Huaynakana

Las mujeres Kukama están pidiendo el reconocimiento de derechos específicos para el Río Marañón que incluyen: el derecho a existir, fluir, vivir libre de contaminación, alimentarse y ser alimentado por sus afluentes, y ser protegido, preservado y restaurado. Estos derechos están de acuerdo con la Declaración Universal de los Derechos de los Ríos.

La creciente jurisprudencia comparada en todo el mundo, como el río Atrato en Colombia, el Río Whanganui en Nueva Zelanda y el Río Magpie en Canadá, está otorgando derechos sobre los ríos. Los miembros de Huaynakana dicen que su río también debe protegerse debido a su valor cultural y espiritual.

La Constitución de Perú protege los valores culturales de sus pueblos indígenas y el país es signatario del Convenio 169 de la OIT y de la Declaración Americana de Pueblos Indígenas.

La demanda también pide a Petroperú que lleve a cabo el mantenimiento y reparación de su gasoducto peruano norte con fugas, y el establecimiento de comités locales de gestión de cuencas hidrográficas para garantizar la participación de los pueblos indígenas en la administración y conservación de sus recursos hídricos.

Las mujeres Kukama exigen que el gobierno peruano reconozca a las organizaciones indígenas como guardianes, defensoras y representantes del Río Marañón y sus afluentes. Piden la creación de los “Guardianes del Río Marañón”, institución que representaría al río y sus intereses en coordinación con las agencias gubernamentales. Esta institución le daría al río Marañón un lugar en la mesa durante las reuniones de alto nivel y potencialmente permitiría que el río influyera en las decisiones públicas y privadas sobre su Ser y Afluentes.

El Congreso Mundial de la Naturaleza de la UICN expresó su preocupación por las amenazas que enfrentan las cuencas fluviales de Perú y recomendó que el río Marañón sea considerado un tema especial de protección debido a su importante papel en el ecosistema amazónico.

“No vivimos del dinero. Vivimos de lo que cultivamos en nuestra tierra y de nuestra pesca. No podemos vivir sin peces ”. Isabel agrega que las mujeres interpusieron acciones legales para proteger el río para sus hijos y nietos.”

— Isabel Murayari
Miembro de la Junta, Huaynakana Kamatahuara Kana

Enlaces a videos producidos por Huaynakana, Asociación Quisca y Radio Ucamara

El Río Marañón es un ser vivo 

Habla un Periodista Kukama: el río Marañón es un ser vivo

Habla un Sanador: nuestras plantas medicinales necesitan los ríos

Un pescador y una madre hablan de su río

Contactos

Mari Luz Canaquiri Murayari, Huaynakana President. +51 925 764 188

Carmen Rosa Arévalo, Huaynakana Advisor. + 51 938 853 259

Juan Carlos Ruiz, IDL Lawyer. +51 997 521 685, jruiz@idl.org.pe

Maritza Quispe, IDL Lawyer. +51 997 598 906, mquispe@idl.org.pe

Charis Kamphuis, JCAP Lawyer. (+1) 250 572 2625 ckamphuis@tru.ca

https://proyecto-justicia.org/

Monti Aguirre, International Rivers, monti@internationalrivers.org

https://www.internationalrivers.org/

Constanza Prieto Figelist, Earth Law Center, cpfigelist@gmail.com, https://www.earthlawcenter.org/

Stephanie Boyd, Cineasta/Periodista, Asociación Quisca. quiscaproductions@gmail.com

www.karuara.com

Kukama Women Say Their Marañón River is a Living Being: Groundbreaking Lawsuit Filed in Peru

Huaynakana Kamatahuara kana, a Kukama women’s federation in the lower Marañón Valley, has filed a groundbreaking legal action demanding that the Peruvian government recognize their river as a legal person, or “Ser Vivo” (Living Being)). A coalition of national and international organizations including the Institute for Legal Defense, International Rivers, and the Earth Law Center are providing legal aid and support. A coalition of Canadian lawyers and academics have presented an amicus curiae in defense of the petition. 

For many Indigenous people like the Kukamas, their rivers are living beings with rights that should be recognized and protected. The Marañón River is the source of food, water, and transportation for the Kukama people; it is also the center of their spiritual universe. After watching their river suffer contamination over decades, especially from systemic oil spills that have destroyed its fragile ecosystem and fisheries, the Kukama women decided to take legal action. 

On September 8th the women’s federation and their lawyers from IDL filed a legal action in a Peruvian court to have their river recognized as a legal person. The petition accuses various government entities of violating the fundamental rights of the Marañón River, including Petroperú, the state-run oil company, the Ministry of the Environment, and the Ministry of Energy and Mining.

Huaynakana was founded in 2001 to promote the rights of Kukama-Kukamiria women and protect their environment and culture. The federation represents women from 28 indigenous communities in the district of Parinari on the Marañón River in Peru’s northern Amazon region.      

Canadian lawyers and academics from three universities filed an amicus curiae in the Peruvian court on September 29th to support Huayanakana’s lawsuit. The document shows how various provincial governments have recognized the right of Indigenous people to manage their own resources. The amicus describes the growing importance of Indigenous law within the environmental impact assessment process in Canada.

Details of Huaynakana’s Legal Action

The Kukama women are asking for recognition of specific rights for the Marañón River including: the right to exist, to flow, to live free from contamination, to feed and be fed by its tributaries, and to be protected, preserved, and restored.

These rights are in accordance with the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Rivers. Growing comparative jurisprudence worldwide, such as Colombia’s Atrato River,[1] New Zealand’s Whanganui[2]  River and Canada’s Magpie River, is providing rights for rivers. Huaynakana’s members say their river must also be protected because of its cultural and spiritual value.

 Peru’s Constitution protects the cultural values of its Indigenous people, and the country is a signatory to Convention 169 of the OIT as well as the American Declaration of Indigenous People.

 The lawsuit also calls on Petroperú to carry out maintenance and repairs on its leaky North Peruvian Pipeline, and for the establishment of local river basin management committees to ensure the participation of Indigenous people in the administration and conservation of their water resources.

 The Kukama women are demanding that the Peruvian government recognize Indigenous organizations as guardians, defenders, and representatives of the Marañón River and its tributaries. They call for the creation of the “Guardians of the Marañón River”, an institution that would represent the river and its interests in coordination with government agencies. This institution would give the Marañón River a seat at the table during high-level meetings and potentially allow the river to influence public and private decisions over its Being and Tributaries. 

 The IUCN World Conservation Congress has expressed concern about the threats facing Peru’s river basins and advised that the Marañón River be considered a special subject of protection due to its important role in the Amazon ecosystem.[3]

“We do not live on money. We live from what we grow on our land and our fishing. We can not live without fish.” Isabel adds that the women filed their legal action to protect the river for their children and grandchildren. ”

— Isabel Murayari
Board Member, Huaynakana Kamatahuara Kana

Huaynakana Videos

The Marañón river is a living being

A Kukama journalist speaks: the Marañón River is a Living Being

A Healer speaks: our medicinal plants need the rivers

A fisherman and a Mother speak about their river

 Contacts

Mari Luz Canaquiri Murayari, Huaynakana President. +51 925 764 188

Carmen Rosa Arévalo, Huaynakana Advisor. + 51 938 853 259

Juan Carlos Ruiz, IDL Lawyer. +51 997 521 685, jruiz@idl.org.pe

Maritza Quispe, IDL Lawyer. +51 997 598 906, mquispe@idl.org.pe

Charis Kamphuis, JCAP Lawyer. (+1) 250 572 2625 ckamphuis@tru.ca

https://proyecto-justicia.org/

Monti Aguirre, International Rivers, monti@internationalrivers.org

https://www.internationalrivers.org/

Constanza Prieto Figelist, Earth Law Center, cpfigelist@gmail.com, https://www.earthlawcenter.org/

---

[1] Corte Constitucional de Colombia, Sala Sexta de Revisión, Acción de tutela del Rio Atrato, T-622 de 2016, 10 de noviembre, 2016

[2] Nueva Zelanda, Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Act 2017.

[3] Ver. https://www.iucncongress2020.org/motion/013

Advocates at IUCN Congress Highlight a Wave of New Support for the Rights of Rivers

Contacts:    

1. Monti Aguirre, International Rivers (707-591-1220; monti@internationalrivers.org) 

2. Grant Wilson, Earth Law Center (510-566-1063; gwilson@earthlaw.org) 

 For immediate release: September 8, 2021

 Marseille, France—Today, advocates from across the globe gathered at the IUCN World Conservation Congress (both in person and remotely) to highlight the precipitous growth of the movement to recognize the rights of rivers and watersheds. The press conference also marked the approximate one year anniversary of the formal launch of the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Rivers (“Declaration”), a civil society initiative to define the basic rights to which all rivers are entitled. According to its proponents, the Declaration intends to build awareness and serve as a customizable legal model for governments wishing to join the rights of rivers movement.

Over the past year, rights have been recognized or declared for (at minimum) Boulder Creek and the Boulder Creek Watershed (Nederland, USA, mirroring some language from the Declaration), the Magpie River (Canada), waterways in Orange County, Florida (USA), the Alpayacu River (Ecuador), and the Paraná River and Wetlands (Rosario, Argentina). In contrast to traditional environmental laws that recognize Nature as mere human property, this legal precedent acknowledges that rivers, watersheds, and other natural entities are living entities with rights.

With regards to the Declaration, it now has support from close to 1,700 individuals and 211 organizations from over forty countries. Numerous ‘rights of rivers’ campaigns also incorporate parts of the Declaration, including in El Salvador (rights of the Lempa River), France (rights of the Tavignanu River), Mexico (rights of all rivers in Oaxaca), Nigeria (rights of the River Ethiope), Pakistan (rights of the Indus Delta and River), Serbia, and the UK (rights of the River Frome). Additionally, last week, 16 IUCN members co-sponsored an emergency motion calling upon IUCN members to endorse the Declaration, although it did not pass. 

Advocates have also submitted a multitude of amici curiae briefs in defense of the ‘rights of rivers’ that specifically reference the rights recognized in the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Rivers, including briefs seeking to protect the rights of the Dulcepamba River, Piatúa River and Nangaritza River in a series of cases currently before the Constitutional Court of Ecuador. Another amicus brief seeks to protect the Marañon River in Peru based in part on the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Rivers. In one instance, an administrative body in Ecuador upheld the rights of the Dulcepamba River and ordered protection of its flows.

The momentum towards the rights of rivers is growing as a response to mounting global threats to rivers and freshwater ecosystems. According to the 2020 Living Planet Index, 944 monitored freshwater species declined by an average of 84% between 1970 and 2016. Due to an onslaught of dams and other infrastructure, only 37 percent of rivers longer than 1,000km still flow freely.  

 The notion of recognizing the personhood or rights of rivers gained global attention in 2017. That year, a treaty agreement between the Whanganui Iwi (a Māori tribe) and the Crown Government recognized the Whanganui River as a legal person, a Constitutional Court decision in Colombia recognized the rights of the Atrato River, and a court in Uttarakhand, India, recognized the Ganga and Yamuna Rivers as legal persons with rights (later stayed). In 2008, Ecuador became the first country to constitutionally recognize the Rights of  Nature. 

Quotes: 

“It is obvious that effective river management works best at the basin scale, and ‘river rights’, as described in the Declaration, is a very important way of achieving this and ensuring protection of ecosystem integrity.” 

-Angela Andrade, Chair of IUCN’s Commission on Ecosystem Management

“Globally, rivers have enormous social, cultural, environmental, and economic value, but are becoming progressively more threatened. The Rights of Rivers approach is becoming increasingly important for ensuring that they can continue to provide these essentials to benefit nature and the people who rely on them.” 

Kristen Walker, Chair of IUCN’s Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy.

“Western law and culture often treat rivers as a human resource instead of recognizing the reality that they are living systems. An important step towards correcting this falsehood is for rivers and other natural entities to be recognised in law as legal entities with intrinsic rights.” 

-Jessica Sweidan, CoFounder & Trustee of Synchronicity Earth; IUCN Patron of Nature.  

“The playbook for protecting rivers and watersheds must evolve beyond the traditional environmental law approaches we’ve been using since the 1960s, as such laws are helpful but grossly inadequate. The Declaration is a useful legislative starting point for those wishing to promote new, Earth-centered legal protections for fresh waters.”

-Grant Wilson, Executive Director of Earth Law Center.

“This movement towards recognizing the rights of rivers will be extremely helpful for protecting the freshwater biodiversity present in these ecologically important rivers.” 

-Dr. Topiltzin Contreras Macbeath, Head of the Conservation Biology Research Group at the University of Morelos, México and Co-Chair of the Freshwater Conservation Committee of IUCN’s Species Survival Commission.

“Rivers are the veins of the Earth. They hold so much life and provide the conditions for life to evolve, flourish, and regenerate. This declaration is essential in the process of legally recognizing the inherent rights of rivers worldwide, as a way to protect their integrity, health, and role in Earth’s web of life.” 

-Hana Begovic, Director of Earth Advocacy Youth.

“A global study of river protections that I recently led shows the growing importance of the Rights of Rivers movement, relative to some of the other protection systems we discussed. We concluded that Rights of Rivers is a powerful tool for recognizing Indigenous cultural plurality in legal systems, and for bringing about transformative change in the protection of nature.”

-Dr. Denielle Perry, Director of the Free-flowing Rivers Lab in Northern Arizona University’s School of Earth and Sustainability, and Co-Chair of the Durable River Protection Coalition.

"Rivers across the planet are ribbons of biodiversity that are facing unprecedented threats due to climate change and dam building. Rights of Nature for Rivers offers a path forward that combats these threats and gives rivers their rightful protection as the planet's life-saving arteries.” 

-Gary Wockner, Co-Founder of Save The Colorado and Founder of Save The World's Rivers.

“Our current laws are not rising to address the climate and biodiversity crises. Freshwater ecosystems need permanent protections to sustain water quality, food security, and human rights. A Rights of Nature approach offers transformative change at a time where it could not be needed more.”

Monti Aguirre, Latin America Manager at International Rivers.

# # #

 Find more on the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Rivers, visit www.RightsOfRivers.org