Landmark Declaration of Rights Safeguards Biobío River in Chile

Biodiversity and Rights of Nature defenders celebrated a “historic moment” on Wednesday as communities in Chile joined advocacy groups in launching the first Declaration of Rights protecting an ecosystem in the South American country, with the document aiming to safeguard “the rights of Chile's Biobío River against mounting environmental threats.”

Communities located along the river—the second-longest in the country—joined environmental advocates, Indigenous tribes including the Pehuenche and Lafkenche people, and scientists in several months of “participatory dialogues” to determine how to protect the Biobío River from industrialization and other threats to the countless species it supports and to the river itself.

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