Kukama community leader wins 2025 Goldman Prize for securing legal rights for Peru's Marañón River

Following more than 80 oil spills along Peru’s 900-mile Marañón River - a critical source of water and biodiversity, Indigenous Kukama community mobilized to stop the ongoing environmental harm. The nearby Northern Peruvian Oil Pipeline has long been linked to contamination and serious health risks for those living along the river.

‍

When traditional protests failed to bring change, the movement shifted to a legal strategy rooted in the global rights of nature movement. In March 2024, a federal court granted the Marañón River legal personhood - the first ruling of its kind in Peru, recognizing its right to remain free from pollution and to sustain its ecological functions.

‍

The court ordered the state oil company, Petroperú, to address existing spills and develop a river protection plan. It also officially recognized the Indigenous community as the river’s legal guardians. The decision continues to empower the Kukama people to challenge harmful activities in court and set a precedent for similar efforts to protect ecosystems around the world.

‍

Watch the video HERE.