The European Environment Agency (EEA) states a worrying balance of water quality in the European Union (EU). Only 40% of all surface waters are in ‘good ecological state’. Aquatic ecosystems remain victims of pollution, dams and over-exploitation which “still represent major threats to their long-term health”, warns the EEA.

Around the world, legal revolutions are taking place to find systemic solutions to the degradation of the water cycle, thanks to the creation of new legal rules to protect the link that unites us with the Living. The Whanganui River in New Zealand, the Atrato River in Colombia, the Klamath River in the United States… Many aquatic ecosystems benefit from the recognition of their rights throughout the world. Thus, the Rights of Nature have been mobilized to repair ecosystems, to preserve bodies of water endangered by human exploitation but also to respect ancestral traditions.

In order to raise awareness amongst the general public and public authorities about the protection of aquatic ecosystems through the Rights of Nature doctrine, the European Hub will lead a global campaign. This campaign will bring together citizens and NGOs through the creation of a European mobilization platform calling for the recognition of the Rights of Aquatic Ecosystems.