Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Declaration: rights of herring
On April 26 2023, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe adopted a resolution on the Rights of Herring, recognizing their right to exist, migrate freely and reproduce.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.).
Milwaukee County (USA) Resolution: rights of nature
On October 27, 2023, Milwaukee County passed a resolution to recognize the rights of nature to protect Southeastern Wisconsin’s waterways and bodies of water.Read More →
Poland National Law: legal personality of the Odra River
In 2025, a citizen-drafted bill on the legal personality of Odra River, its rights, and manner of representation, was submitted to Poland's National Assembly.Read More →
Guajará-Mirim (Brazil) Municipal Law: rights of the Laje River (Komi Memen)
In April 2023, the city of Guajará-Mirim in Brazil approved a municipal law recognizing the legal rights of the Laje RiverRead More →
Cincinnati (USA) City Charter Amendment: rights for the Ohio River watershed
In April 2023, citizens of Cincinnati, Ohio proposed an amendment to the City Charter that would establish a Bill of Rights for the Ohio River Watershed.Read More →
Assembly of First Nations Quebec–Labrador: rights and legal personhood of the St. Lawrence River
On April 19 2023, the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec-Labrador passed a resolution to confer legal personhood to the St. Lawrence RiverRead More →
Ecuador Organic Law: water resources, uses, and exploitation of water
In 2014, Ecuador passed the Organic Law of Water Resources, Uses, and Exploitation of Water – which articulates the rights of nature in the context of water.Read More →
Ecuador court case: oil spill in the San Rafael Waterfall
In 2021, a provincial court in Ecuador denied a protective action by Indigenous groups over rights violations from a major oil spill in the San Rafael WaterfallRead More →