Mari Luz Canaquiri Warrior & Defender of the Amazon River

Source : Goldman Environmental Prize

A River with Rights: How the Kukama Women of the Peruvian Amazon Inspire the World and Indonesia The story of Mari Luz Canaquiri can be followed in the following documentarystory of River Warrior

By: Abu Salam

“To fight for our rivers and territories is to fight for our own lives.”
— Mari Luz Canaquiri

In April 2025, the world celebrated Mari Luz Canaquiri, an Indigenous Kukama leader from the Peruvian Amazon, who received the Goldman Environmental Prize—the world’s most prestigious award for grassroots environmental defenders. Her achievement marks a triumph for Indigenous women, for the Rights of Nature movement, and for the global struggle to protect rivers from extractivism and ecological collapse.

The Marañón River: A Polluted Lifeline
For the Kukama people, the Marañón River is not merely a source of water—it is a living, sacred being: the origin of life, the dwelling place of spirits, and the provider of food for Indigenous communities along the Amazon. Yet for more than five decades, this river has suffered from oil spills, mercury contamination from illegal mining, and fossil fuel infrastructure projects. According to the Earth Law Center (2024), more than 10,000 barrels of oil were spilled into the Marañón River in 2022 alone. This disaster is not only an ecological crisis, but also a spiritual and cultural one that threatens the survival of the Kukama people.

“Our river is sacred; it gives us everything,” said Mari Luz.

Indigenous Women’s Leadership: Guardians of Life and Nature

source : Goldman Environmental Prize

Refusing to surrender to destruction, the Kukama women formed Federación Huaynakana Kamatahuara Kana, organizing communities, leading protests, and suing the state and oil companies responsible for pollution. Their movement affirms that Indigenous women are not just victims of environmental harm—they are leaders, decision-makers, and guardians of life itself.

“As women and as mothers, we fight to defend our rivers and our lands—for our children and for the generations to come,” said Mari Luz.

Research by the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN) shows that Indigenous women’s leadership significantly strengthens the protection of aquatic ecosystems in Latin America, as it is rooted in spiritual relationships, ethics of care, and intergenerational responsibility.

Legal Breakthrough: The Marañón River Recognized as a Legal Person
In 2024, this long struggle achieved a historic milestone: the Loreto High Court in Peru recognized the Marañón River as a legal entity with rights. For the first time in Peruvian history, a river was legally acknowledged as a living being. This ruling was the result of collective efforts between Kukama women and international networks such as the Earth Law Center, International Rivers, and GARN, with support from Peru’s Institute of Legal Defense (IDL). It marks a paradigm shift in environmental law—from an anthropocentric to an ecocentric perspective—recognizing nature as a subject of rights rather than an object of exploitation.

The Rights of Nature Movement: From the Andes to the Archipelago

Source : Goldman Environmental Prize

The concept of Rights of Nature has become one of the most significant innovations in global environmental law. Countries such as Ecuador (2008) and Bolivia (2010) have enshrined the rights of nature in their constitutions. In New Zealand (2017), the Whanganui River was granted legal personhood, followed by similar recognitions in Colombia, India, and now Peru through the Marañón case. According to the Earth Law Center (2023), more than 30 jurisdictions worldwide have recognized rivers, forests, or ecosystems as holders of legal rights. The Marañón victory proves that ecological justice can be achieved through legal recognition of nature’s rights.

Lessons for Indonesia: Time to Give Rivers Legal Rights
Indonesia is home to more than 5,000 rivers, most of which face severe pressure from industrial waste, domestic pollution, and watershed degradation. Examples include: the Brantas River in East Java, polluted by industrial discharge, microplastics, and household waste; the Citarum River in West Java, once dubbed one of the world’s dirtiest rivers; and the Mahakam River in East Kalimantan, threatened by coal mining and energy expansion. According to ECOTON (2024), microplastic concentrations in the Brantas River have reached over 120 particles per 100 liters of water, signaling serious ecological degradation.

Normatively, Indonesia already has a strong legal framework through Government Regulation No. 22/2021 on Environmental Protection and Management, which sets standards for water quality, monitoring, and law enforcement. However, this regulation has yet to recognize rivers as legal subjects with the right to live and to recover. Environmental activist Daru Setyorini, founder of ECOTON, emphasizes: “If rivers are recognized as having rights, then pollution is no longer just an administrative violation—it becomes a violation of the river’s right to life. That’s a new and fairer paradigm for nature.”

Building Global Solidarity for River Rights
The story of Mari Luz Canaquiri and the Marañón River carries a universal message: The fight to defend rivers is not merely about conservation—it is about sustaining life, culture, and human dignity. The Marañón’s legal victory reminds the world that the Rights of Nature are no longer a utopian dream—they are becoming reality. For Indonesia, this is a crucial moment to push for legal recognition of river rights, strengthening protection for freshwater ecosystems and advancing ecological justice.

As extractive industries continue to expand across the Amazon, Kalimantan, and Java, Mari Luz’s voice echoes across continents: “We must act with courage, collectively, to defend Life itself.”

References
1. Earth Law Center (2023). Rights of Nature Global Report.
2. Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN) (2024). Defending Mother Earth: Indigenous Women at the Frontline of Ecological Justice.
3. ECOTON (2024). Monitoring of Microplastics and Industrial Waste in the Brantas River.
4. Government of the Republic of Indonesia (2021). Government Regulation No. 22/2021 on Environmental Protection and Management.
5. International Rivers (2024). Legal Milestones in the Recognition of River Rights: The Case of the Marañón, Peru.