WP List The Rights of a River

  • The right to exist and flow: Every river has a sacred, inalienable, and immutable right to exist. Every river has the privilege of following its natural course, flowing at a natural rhythm, and flourishing with little or no human interference.
  • The right for its vital cycles to be respected: Rivers have seasonal cycles that are essential to the proper functioning of the river system and the ecosystems that depend on it. This right protects them from unnatural disturbance, ensuring that they can follow their natural rhythms, such as spring flooding and summer low-water periods.
  • The right to maintain its natural biodiversity: Each river, as a unique ecosystem, has the right to preserve its natural wealth. This means it has the right to shelter a multitude of plant and animal species that contribute to its diversity and balance.
  • The right to maintain its integrity: Rivers have the right to maintain their natural structure and functioning. They must be preserved in a way that maintains their natural processes and dynamic equilibrium, including their capacity to provide invaluable ecological services to non-human species that live there.
  • The right for its riverbanks and floodplains to be preserved riverbanks and floodplains: Riverbanks and floodplains, the crucial buffer zones between land and water, are worthy of respect and protection. They must be preserved from excessive development, human degradation, and pollution, to maintain habitat and water quality.
  • The right to perform essential functions within their ecosystem: Rivers and the river corridor to which they belong play a fundamental role in hydrological regulation, filtering contaminants and supporting both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. They have the right to continue fulfilling these vital functions.
  • The right to nourish and be nourished by aquifers and tributaries: Rivers depend on tributaries and groundwater to maintain a normal hydrological regime. This right ensures their access to these inputs and the protection of the entities (i.e., wetlands and hydric environments) providing these valuable contributions.
  • The right to be free from pollution: Every river has the right to remain free from any form of pollution that significantly degrades its existence. This right protects them from major industrial, agricultural, or urban impacts that threaten their health and their ability to provide a sustainable, high-quality habitat for the species that depend on them.
  • The right to regeneration and restoration: Rivers have the right to regenerate naturally, but also to benefit from restoration measures, where necessary, to re-establish their natural functioning. This guarantees their continuity and vitality.
  • The right to take legal action: Rivers deserve to be defended in court by legal representatives who ensure that their rights are respected and protected. This right gives them a voice in the event of threats or violations.