Citizen Declaration: rights and responsibilities of the St. Lawrence River
In 2022, North Country (U.S) community members (Haudenosaunee Territory) drafted a sample Bill of Rights of the St. Lawrence River / Kaniatarowanénhne WatershedRead More →
Indigenous Model
This page identifies initiatives that are Indigenous-led and/or co-developed and applies Indigenous ways of knowing and positioning such as relationality and responsibilities to an entity of nature, recognizing it as living and possessing spirit. An initiative is considered Indigenous-led and/or co-developed when one or more of the groups involved in the initiative self-identifies as Indigenous.
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 →
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 →
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 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 →
Yucatán (Mexico) Court Case: rights of the Ring of Cenotes
In 2023, the Mayan people of Homún in Yucatán, Mexico filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking recognition of the Ring of Cenotes as subjects of law with rightsRead More →
Africa Protected Areas Congress: Kigali Declaration “We are Nature”
In 2022, representatives of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities from more than 40 African nations made the Kigali Declaration "We Are Nature."Read More →
Buliisa (Uganda) District Ordinance 2020: Bagungu customary law and sacred sites
In December 2020 the Buliisa District Council of Uganda passed a law recognizing the customary laws of the Bagungu People and sacred natural sites (Mpuluma)Read More →