Enabling Indigenous Trade 2025

Indigenous influence globally on the rights of nature BOX 10 2008: Ecuador became the first country to enshrine the legal rights of nature in its constitution. 2010: Bolivia passed the Law of the Rights of Mother Earth, later expanding it into a comprehensive framework law for development. 2014: New Zealand recognized Te Urewera, a national park, as a legal person, acknowledging its intrinsic and cultural significance, and went on to do the same for the Whanganui River (2017) and Mount Taranaki (2025). 2017: Australia and India also took steps to recognize rivers as living entities, influenced by Indigenous perspectives, while Colombia granted legal rights to the Atrato River.2018: Colombia’s supreme court recognized the legal rights of the Amazon’s ecosystems, setting a precedent for other ecosystems. 2019: Bangladesh’s supreme court recognized all rivers in the country as living entities with legal rights. 2021: Canada recognized the Mutuhekau Shipu (Magpie River) as a legal person with specific rights. 2022: Panama passed a law recognizing the rights of nature, integrating these rights into all regulations and policies. Enabling Indigenous Trade: Actionable Guidance for Governments 20