Thursday, October 22nd 2026, 6-8 p.m. (Central European Summer Time) / 9-11 a.m. (Pacific Daylight Time)
Rivers are the lifelines of our planet. Rivers and their waters are regarded as a valuable resource and sometimes a source of vital ecosystem services as they provide drinking water resources and room for recreational activities. They also constitute hotspots for human use and settlement: they are diked, channelled, and dammed with transverse structures to enable irrigation, generate hydroelectric power, protect against flooding and allow for enhanced navigation. At the same time, their floodplains and currents are diverse natural habitats for migratory fish, invertebrates, and many semi-aquatic species connecting headwaters to estuaries and oceans.
So, should rivers only be regarded in the context of their value to humans and their potential to create profit of any kind? Don’t they have a right to exist for their own sake and for nature itself? Are rivers with their multilayer complex connectedness of living organisms and ever changing structures to be considered alive?
Celebrating the start of the European Citizens Initiative (ECI) „Rights for Nature" on October 13th 2026 aiming to gather at least 1 million supporters over the course of one year we will discuss these current topics.
The online seminar will be held in English and include presentations and participatory river talks.
Speakers: Monti Aguirre (International Rivers), Emmanuel Schlichter (ECI Rights for Nature), Grant Wilson (Earth Law) and Eduardo Salazar Ortuño (Mar Menor).
Moderator: Michael Bender, Head of Water Policy GRÜNE LIGA & Living Rivers Foundation
Full program (PDF)
This event is organized by GRÜNE LIGA and Living Rivers Foundation in cooperation with Rivers for Climate Coalition and AG Water of the Forum Umwelt und Entwicklung.
The online-seminar will be conducted via Zoom. The link will be provided once your registration is confirmed. The speakers’ input will be recorded. With your registration you agree to the recording and publishing online as well as the processing of your personal data for attendance.
Please register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/CIRZpWcbR_eWVpYe8qnwQQ
For technical questions please refer to: Sara Phung (