Madrid (Spain): Declaration of the Rights of the Manzanares River
On November 15, 2025, a coalition of civil society groups and individuals issued the “Declaration of the Rights of the Manzanares River."Read More →
Freshwater Ecosystem
This page identifies ecological jurisprudence initiatives in which the subject of the initiative is a freshwater ecosystem. Examples include watersheds, rivers, lakes, freshwater aquifers, or any type of freshwater wetlands (e.g., ponds, marshes, swamps, etc.).
Florencia (Colombia) Municipal Law: rights of the Hacha river
On 1 December 2025, the Municipal Council of Florencia in Colombia passed a law recognizing the Hacha River as a subject of rights.Read More →
Charter for the Rights of the River Wye
On 24 May 2026, a Charter for the Rights of the River Wye was launched across the entire 130-mile river system as a full-catchment river rights framework.Read More →
North Carolina (USA): Rights of the Rivers Act 2025
On 10 March 2025, a bill was introduced in the North Carolina state legislature to recognize and protect the rights of the Dan and Haw River ecosystems.Read More →
Santa Ana (Ecuador) Court Case: rights of the Portoviejo River
In January 2026, a Santa Ana judge declared the Portoviejo River a rights‑bearing entity and ordered contamination remediation and ongoing protections.Read More →
France National Law: legal personality and rights of the Seine River
On 20 February 2026, a bill on the legal personality and rights of the Seine River was tabled in the Senate of France's national parliament.Read More →
UK Citizens Petition: rights of rivers and rias
In June 2025, a citizen petition was submitted to the UK parliament to Recognise Rivers & Rias (Drowned River Valleys) in England as living entities with rightsRead More →
Scotland Citizens Petition: rights of the River Clyde
In December 2024, Professor Louise Welsh and Jude Barber submitted a petition to the Scottish Parliament to grant the River Clyde legal personhood.Read More →