Rights of Nature in Mexico
VICTORY: Rights of NATURE IN THE STATE OF OAXACA
In 2021, the State of Oaxaca, Mexico, passed a state constitutional amendment recognizing the Rights of Nature. The Constitutional reform establishes the following rights for Nature: The right to preservation, the right to protection of its elements, the right to exercise its vital and natural cycles and its ecological functions, the right to integral restoration of its ecological balance, and the right to be legally represented. This reform constitutes a significant advance for the State of Oaxaca to achieve a healthy environment for present and future generations.
The full law is available here. We will update more details as they emerge in the coming weeks.
VICTORY: Rights of NATURE IN COLIMA, MEXICO
In 2019, the State of Colima, Mexico, passed a state constitutional amendment recognizing the Rights of Nature. The constitutional amendment establishes that nature, including all ecosystems and species, is a collective entity with fundamental rights. Nature’s rights include the right to exist, to restoration, to regeneration of its natural cycles, and to conservation of its ecological structure and functions.
Colima joins a select list of Mexican governments, such as Guerrero and Mexico City, that have legally recognized the Rights of Nature. Our hope is that Mexico recognizes the Rights of Nature nationally.
Earth Law Center assisted in legal drafting and revisions on the constitutional amendment. We are the lawyers who will help right the next generation of rights-based laws. Contact us if you work within government and want pro bono help with legal drafting.
NATIONAL LEADERS: Rights of Rivers
Earth Law Center and partners are seeking recognition of the rights of rivers at the national level in Mexico. This campaign draws from the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Rivers, which ELC wrote in coordination with experts worldwide. Until all waterways are recognized as subjects of rights, their health will continue to decline.
ELC also submits amicus briefs in Mexico on behalf of the rights of rivers. In April 2019, ELC submitted an amicus calling for enforcement of the rights of the Salado and Atoyac Rivers in Oaxaca (note: this is a different Atoyac River than the one in Puebla).
Read our handout to learn more, available in English and Spanish. Más información aquí (en español).
LOCAL PARTNERS
ELC is proud to work with local groups such as Cuatro Al Cubo, Organi - K, Nuiwari, A.C. and a myriad of others. Here are some of the supporters of the rights of rivers in Mexico:
