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.).

Yucatan Mexico case lawsuit seeking recognition of the Ring of Cenotes as subjects of law with rights

Country:Mexico

Status:Submitted in 2023

In 2023 the Mayan community of Homún, Yucatán, Mexico filed a lawsuit in federal court for recognition of the Ring of Cenotes as subjects of law with rightsRead More →

Lewes England Citizens Declaration on the Rights of River Ouse Charter

Country:United Kingdom

Status:Drafted in 2022

During the 2022 'Love our Ouse River Festival' citizens of Lewes drafted a ‘Rights of River Ouse Charter’ to use as a framework for upholding the river's rightsRead More →

Lewes England District Council Motion on the Rights of the River Ouse

Country:United Kingdom

Status:Approved in 2023

February 2023, Lewes District Council passed the first Rights of River motion in England – the first step towards creating a Rights of River Ouse CharterRead More →

Netherlands Petition to Recognize Rights of Maas River

Country:Netherlands

Status:Drafted in 2023

Citizens in the Netherlands have a petition calling on the House of Representatives to recognize the Maas River as a subject with rights.Read More →

Ecuador case on the rights of the Monjas River

Country:Ecuador

Status:Approved in 2022

Ecuador's Constitutional Court rules that urban expansion into a fragile watershed by Quito's municipal government violated the rights of the Monjas River.Read More →

Oaxaca Mexico Bill recognizing the Rights of Rivers and other Water Sources

Country:Mexico

Status:Submitted in 2020

Bill presented to the Congress of Oaxaca (Mexico) seeking to establish all rivers and other water sources in the state of Oaxaca as subjects with rightsRead More →

Woodbridge England Citizen’s Declaration of the Rights of the River Deben

Country:United Kingdom

Status:Approved in 2022

In 2022 a citizens Declaration of the Rights of the River Deben was proclaimed in Woodbridge, England including rights to flow freely and be free from pollutionRead More →

Kerala High Court of India case seeking legal personhood for Bharathapuzha river

Country:India

Status:Submitted in 2022

In 2022, a petition was filed in the Kerala High Court of India seeking to declare the Bharathapuzha river as a 'legal entity' with a right to flow and liveRead More →