In 2008, Ecuador provided constitutional protection to its mountains, waters and land - it was the first country to do that.
That got tested in 2010: "The Vilcabamba river was being filled in by a road building project and the court ruled on behalf of the river’s right to flow freely."
The provincial government building the road had to change the route of the road.
The Rights of Nature: Patricia Siemen TedX Talk at Jacksonville
In 2010, Bolivia hosted the world’s people conference on the Rights of Mother Earth and climate change 2010 -- leading to a Universal Declaration on the rights of Mother Earth
The Declaration came to the UN and some of its language is beginning to show up in UN documents and resolutions.
New Zealand became the second country to provide legal rights to Nature -- the same rights of Legal Personhood now enjoyed only by corporations in the US.
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| Ichetucknee Springs |
In Florida, Siemen told her Jacksonville audience, start with the St. Johns, the Ichetucknee and the Suwannee. Let’s give the Rights of Nature to our springs
"We can work to bring a Bill of Rights for water to the State of Florida," she added.
On Nov. 3, 2020, Orange County Florida became the first jurisdiction in the state to adopt a Bill of Rights for two rivers.
To learn more, connect with the Rights of Nature efforts in Florida:
Florida Rights of Nature Network
Below: Live Webinar on the Rights of Nature held Thursday, Nov. 19
