From Rivers to Rights: Strengthening Waterkeeper Networks Across Latin America
By: Marc Yaggi
From November 4 to 7, Waterkeeper groups from across Latin America gathered in Oaxaca de Juárez, Mexico, for the 2025 Latin America Regional Summit. Host Río Verde Waterkeeper (Mexico), Bocas de Ceniza Waterkeeper (Colombia), Guayllabamba Waterkeeper (Ecuador), Lake Atitlan Waterkeeper (Guatemala), La Paz Coastkeeper (Mexico), Loreto Coastkeeper (Mexico), Maule Itata Coastkeeper (Chile), Meta Riverkeeper (Colombia), Río Inírida Waterkeeper (Colombia), Río Mapacho Waterkeeper (Peru), and Tijuana Waterkeeper (Mexico), came together to build strategy, deepen collaboration, and strengthen a regional movement confronting some of the most urgent environmental challenges on the planet.
The spirit in the room was unmistakable. This was a network determined to defend water, culture, and life itself, building solidarity to confront extractivist economies, the climate crisis, and the fight for the Rights of Nature. In a region where water and biodiversity face extraordinary threats, the Summit made clear that local leadership and collective action have the power to reshape environmental governance.
The Summit opened in a moment of reflection and unity. Participants honored the lives of Rodrigo de la O, Maule Itata Coastkeeper (Chile), and Martha Moctezuma, Los Cabos Coastkeeper (Mexico), both remembered for their fierce commitment to their waters. Their absence was felt, and their legacy moved the room toward an even deeper sense of shared purpose.
That sense of purpose quickly turned into action. Reports from regional leaders made clear how local challenges are shaped by global pressures. Heladio Reyes, Río Verde Waterkeeper in Mexico, described the fight to protect the Río Verde from mining, dams, and the massive Interoceanic Corridor, while underscoring the dangers environmental advocates face from organized crime. From Colombia, Sarah Sánchez of Río Inírida Waterkeeper shared efforts to defend their RAMSAR-designated wetland from mining threats. Ronald Catpo, Río Mapacho Waterkeeper in Peru, spoke about restoring damaged landscapes and strengthening community capacity to confront external pressures. Everywhere, Waterkeepers were battling threats far larger than their communities, yet doing it with a kind of grounded determination that felt contagious.
Peer learning filled the days with stories of impact and innovation. Waterkeeper groups shared how they are strengthening environmental laws, building massive community cleanups, using media to expose pollution, and expanding the role of science and data in local advocacy. Javier Lavarreda from Lake Atitlan Waterkeeper described how his team uses GIS to fill data gaps in government oversight while planting more than a million trees.
Others showcased monitoring programs on tourist beaches, creative education models rooted in local culture, and collaborative declarations shaping global environmental negotiations. The ingenuity of the region was on full display, proving again that some of the most powerful environmental leadership comes from communities directly tied to the water they defend.
“It was a truly wonderful gathering, one that allowed me to fully appreciate the remarkable work the Waterkeepers are doing across Latin America, as well as the broader global impact of their efforts,” said Dr. Rosalia Arteaga, former president of Ecuador and a Waterkeeper Alliance Global Ambassador. “I encountered a group of highly motivated and enthusiastic individuals, deeply committed to creating change and advancing powerful ideas that make a tangible difference in their respective environments. Their dedication to protecting watersheds and ensuring that rivers, lakes, lagoons, and beaches remain healthy, functional ecosystems was truly inspiring.”
A highlight of the gathering was a field trip to El Pedregal, a regenerative landscape in the hills of Oaxaca. As participants walked among terraces, gardens, and water-harvesting structures, the lesson became clear. Water does its best work when it is allowed to slow down. It was a quiet moment that carried a big truth. Restoration begins with listening to what the land and water already know.
Back in the meeting room, conversations turned toward global threats from PFAS contamination and plastic pellets, connecting regional concerns with a larger pattern of industrial pollution. Waterkeeper groups explored ways to replicate monitoring and advocacy efforts across Latin America and imagined building a shared platform to tell the stories the world needs to hear. Later, the focus shifted to Rights of Nature. Attorney Carlos Morales Sánchez offered a powerful look at how rivers in Oaxaca are seeking legal recognition and protection, building on Ecuador’s pioneering model. His message was simple and bold. Rivers need legal guardians, and people are ready to step into that role.
On the final day, the group turned toward climate. Leaders discussed the urgency of action at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, and signed a regional declaration calling for bold commitments that reflect the truth communities experience every day. The climate crisis reveals itself through water: through floods, drought, contamination, and the slow unraveling of fragile ecosystems. Protecting water is not just an environmental demand. It is a matter of human survival. The declaration called for ambitious action, an end to destructive projects, and a shift away from false solutions that sacrifice rivers in the name of progress.
As the Summit came to a close, the sense of unity was unmistakable as Waterkeepers traded plans and promised to share data, strategies, and resources across borders long after leaving Oaxaca. “It truly was an intense and meaningful week that allowed us to learn more about each other, discover the incredible work our colleagues do, and recharge with that shared energy to keep moving forward,” said Liliana Guerrero Ramírez, Bocas de Ceniza Waterkeeper. “I am fully convinced that together we can overcome any obstacle.”
In a region where water and biodiversity are among the most threatened on the planet, collaboration is not optional. It is the only way forward.
