Mari Luz Canaquiri Murayari

In every sense of the word, the Marañón River is alive: its coursing energy sustains Peru’s Amazon rainforest and numerous Indigenous communities. For the Kukama people, the riverbed is home to their ancestors—and in the face of oil spills, hydrodams, and dredging, Mari Luz Canaquiri Murayari has fought tirelessly to protect this waterway. In 2024, Canaquiri and the Asociación de Mujeres Huaynakana Kamatahuara Kana—a Kukama women’s association for which she serves as president—won a landmark victory. The court ruled that the river had the same legal protections as a person; the Peruvian government had violated its rights and must work to prevent future environmental harm. A 2025 Goldman Environmental Prize winner, Canaquiri has gone on to lead reforestation efforts along the riverbanks. Her work marks a pivotal moment in the global effort to use the law to protect nature’s inherent right to thrive.

Mandel is a TIME senior editor