Right Attributions to Rivers: From Bio-Cultural Rights to the Rights of Future Generations

The research shows how the movement of the rights of rivers has open new spaces for subjugated people in Latin America such as Afro-decendent communities, indigenous communities, or the future generations to inject radically different legal and philosophical traditions. The research explores two pioneer cases of right attributions to rivers: Comunidades Afrodescendientes del Rio Atrato v. Presidencia de la Republica de Colombia (Afro-Colombian Indigenous Communities of the Atrato river v. Presidency of the Republic of Colombia) and Las Generaciones Futuras v. Ministerio del Medio Ambiente y Desarollo Sostenible (Future Generations v. The Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development). These cases show that the rights of rivers are a necessary condition for human survival.