by Monti Aguirre, Latin America Director of International Rivers
In a world reeling from crisis—climate upheaval, collapsing ecosystems, poisoned waters — there are still places and people who remind us what it means to belong to nature. Not conquer it, not dominate it, but live with it. The Marañón River, one of the great arteries of the Amazon, is one of those places. And Mariluz Canaquiri, Kukama leader and river defender, is one of those people.
When I first met Mariluz, it was the river that introduced us.
The Marañón connected us before we even spoke — its winding path from the Andes down through Peru’s Loreto region held both of our attention, our concern, our hope. It was here, in waters threatened by oil spills, illegal logging, and the looming shadows of dams, that I came to understand her strength—and the power of the women who stand with her.
The Marañón has suffered. Oil spills darken its waters, disrupting life for the people who fish, cook, wash, and pray alongside it. The land remembers everything—its silence, at times, louder than the noise of extraction. And yet, from this silence rose something extraordinary: the Haynakana Kamatahuara Kana, the Kukama women’s federation, led by Mariluz. These women did not just protest. They defended the Marañón’s rights in court—and they won.
It was the first ruling in the world where a river’s rights were defended by Indigenous women as the primary plaintiffs. The Marañón case recognized that the river has the right to exist, to flow, to regenerate—and to be represented by those who know it best. It was an unprecedented legal and spiritual achievement, rooted in tradition and sharpened by years of organizing and resilience.
I’ve watched Mariluz carry this cause across borders. From community assemblies on riverbanks, to hearings in court, and to the United Nations, her voice has rippled outward, carrying the river’s story with it.
It was with immense pride that International Rivers nominated Mariluz for the 2024 Goldman Environmental Prize — and she won.
Click here to see all the winners of the 2025 Goldman Prize Awards
On April 21, 2025, in San Francisco, California, the world will finally hear what the river already knows: that Mariluz is a guardian not just of water, but of future generations. Behind her stand the Kukama women of Haynakana Kamatahuara Kana, the powerful lawyers of the Instituto de Defensa Legal, the support of the church that has known her since childhood, and many others who have walked with her in this fight.
She speaks not only for the Marañón, but for rivers across the world facing the same threats. Her victory is a reminder that hope flows from the most rooted places—communities where women are rising, organizing, and restoring life.
To walk alongside her is an honor.
To support her is a responsibility.
To celebrate her is to celebrate the voice of the river itself.
Mariluz and Monti together at the UN Water Conference in the United States in 2023, and together again at COP16 in Colombia in 2024.
What’s next?
The court’s ruling in favor of the Marañón River’s rights now calls for real, lasting change on the ground. This includes the implementation of the ruling, which mandates the appointment of guardians of the river, the creation of river basin committees, and improved monitoring and maintenance of the oil pipeline that has long threatened the watershed. But the journey is far from over, and victory is not assured.
Mariluz and her allies are prepared to see their work to fruition, now advancing a vision of cuenca—a basin-wide, integrated approach to governance that respects the interconnectedness of water, land, and community. International Rivers is proud to work alongside the Kukama Indigenous women as they grow the movement to defend rivers through community organizing, cultural revitalization, legal advocacy, storytelling, and solidarity across the region.
Feature photo: Mariluz Canaquiri and Monti Aguirre at COP16 (photo credit: Rios Protegidos Coalition)