Why Brazil granted an endangered river personhood and legal rights

Leaders from eight South American nations have gathered in Brazil for the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) summit to address the critical state of the Amazon rainforest, the world's largest rainforest.

Amidst the carefully-monitored summit occurring in Belem at the mouth of the Amazon, a noteworthy case has emerged where Indigenous communities have utilised legal means, often associated with the "white man's law," to grant personhood status to the Komi Memem river in western Brazil.

The river has rights now!

• Confronted by encroachments by soybean cultivation, illicit deforestation, and land seizures, the Oro Waram group has turned to the channels of "western jurisprudence" for remedy.
• Taking the lead, are the Oro Waram people, one of the many Wari communities rooted in the Western Amazon for generations.
• In the Guajara-Mirim municipality, which is set along the course of the Komi Memem River, a law was enacted, championed by an Indigenous councilman, Francisco Oro Waram.
• This legislation gives special legal status to the Komi Memem river and its adjoining tributaries, recognising them as living entities endowed with entitlements.
• These rights consist of the preservation of their natural course and the safeguarding of the surrounding woods. This legal acknowledgement marks a precedent-setting occurrence in Brazil, and potentially worldwide, as it designates a river with the status of personhood.
• The legislation, in turn, will establish a committee to oversee the well-being of the river.

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Speaking to AP, Councilman Oro Waram, who is both a teacher and an Oro Waram, emphasised that the survival of the local community rests on the adoption of novel strategies in response to imminent threats.

Just saying, the well-being of a river also has a negative impact on the food security of all irrespective of their communal affiliations.

The ACTO summit

The ACTO summit gathers leaders from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. While the summit marks a step toward addressing the Amazon rainforest crisis, some environmentalists and Indigenous groups express disappointment over the absence of binding agreements to halt deforestation.

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Instead, member countries are encouraged to pursue each other's individual deforestation goals.

Importance of Amazon

• The future of the Amazon rainforest holds global significance, not only as a critical carbon sink but also for its unmatched biodiversity and essential role in stabilising the climate.

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As world leaders convene to discuss the Amazon's future, the innovative approach taken by Indigenous communities along the Komi Memem River offers a glimpse of the determined efforts needed to safeguard this irreplaceable natural treasure.