Last Updated on April 27, 2025
In a welcomed victory for environmental justice, Mari Luz Canaquiri Murayari, an Indigenous Kukama leader from Peru, has been awarded the 2025 Goldman Environmental Prize. Her decades-long fight culminated in a court ruling that granted legal personhood to the Marañón River, recognizing its right to flow freely and remain unpolluted.
The Marañón River, stretching over 1,000 miles from the Andes to the Amazon, is central to the Kukama’s way of life. For generations, they have relied on its waters for fishing, agriculture, and transportation. The river holds spiritual significance and is home to the spirits of their ancestors.
However, since the late 1990s, the river has suffered more than 60 oil spills, mainly caused by leaks from the Northern Peruvian Pipeline operated by the state-owned company Petroperú. These spills have led to environmental damage and health issues among local communities, including fevers, skin rashes, and miscarriages.
In response to a major oil spill in 2000, Canaquiri founded the Huaynakana Kamatahuara Kana (HKK), a federation of women from 29 Indigenous communities along the Marañón. The organization aimed to address environmental challenges and promote female leadership.
By 2021, with support from legal organizations, HKK filed a lawsuit seeking recognition of the Marañón River’s legal rights. In March 2024, a Peruvian court ruled in favor of the river, ordering the government to prevent future oil spills, develop a comprehensive protection plan, and recognize the Kukama peoples as its guardians. The ruling was upheld in October 2024, despite government appeals, as reported by The Guardian.
Map of the Marañón River watershed. Created with the free Global Watersheds web app. (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Despite the legal victory, challenges remain. A new law in Peru restricts non-governmental organizations from participating in legal actions against the state, potentially hindering further environmental advocacy. Canaquiri stresses the importance of continued vigilance to ensure that the court’s decision is enforced and that the river remains protected for future generations.
Canaquiri’s success has inspired other Indigenous communities in Peru to seek similar protections for their rivers. Her work contributes to a growing global movement recognizing the rights of nature, aligning legal frameworks with Indigenous worldviews that see rivers and ecosystems as living entities deserving of protection.
The Goldman Environmental Prize honors grassroots environmental activists for their significant contributions to the planet’s well-being. Canaquiri’s recognition underscores the vital role of Indigenous leadership in environmental conservation.
For more information on the Goldman Environmental Prize and Mari Luz Canaquiri Murayari’s work, visit the Goldman Prize website.
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