Summary
In 2019, GARN held an international rights of nature tribunal in Santiago, Chile. Judges heard four cases: Caso Chiquitania, Chaco Y Amazonia Vs. Estado Plurinacional De Bolivia, Minería de litio en el desierto de Atacama, Patagonia: reserva de agua y vida, and Privatización del agua: el agua como objeto en Chile. The citizens’ tribunal served as a model for how courts could operate under rights of nature laws, specifically the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth. Each verdict recognized that rights of nature were violated and called upon various agencies to recognize rights of nature.