Living in harmony with rivers

The Universal Declaration of the Rights of Rivers (www.rightsofrivers.org), launched in 2019 and endorsed by over 200 organisations, outlines basic rights for rivers, such as the right to flow. It has influenced legal frameworks globally and has supported appointing legal guardians to act on behalf of rivers in law, as seen with Colombia’s Atrato River and Aotearoa New Zealand’s Whanganui River. The declaration is part of a broader Rights of Nature movement and aligns with the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Wetlands (www.rightsofwetlands.org), which includes rivers.

As part of the Rights of Wetlands project, lead partner Wetlands International are co-sponsoring the ‘Living in harmony with rivers through the rights of nature and ecocentric law’ motion to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (https://iucncongress2025.org/assembly/motions/motion/067). This motion, currently open to discussion and to be hopefully adopted at the IUCN conservation congress in October, is important because for the first time, it places the value and rights of Nature at the heart of conservation strategies.

At the same time, the motion recognises that while the Rights of Nature is a prudent approach for many nations, others may pursue alternative ecocentric strategies to live in harmony with Nature, including relationship-based frameworks outside the scope of rights. Embracing this broader perspective provides scope for real change in the ways we conceptualise and put conservation into practice, aligning with Indigenous and local communities’ worldviews and perspectives.

We encourage all IUCN members to join the online discussion (open until the 23rd June 2025) and support this motion, and we look forward to reporting back from the congress in October!