Vilcabamba River
Ecuador
In 2008, the Political Constitution of Ecuador recognised “Nature or Pacha Mama, where life is reproduced and carried out, has the right to have its existence and the maintenance and regeneration of its vital cycles, structure, functions and evolutionary processes fully respected.”
In 2011, the Provincial Court of Loja ruled in favour of the Vilcabamba River because its rights were being violated by the local government.