DIALOG ON FLOW RIGHTS

Panel on water bodies as legal entities

“At its core is a single, transformative idea: that rivers are not merely matter for human use, but living beings – which should be recognized as such both in our imagination and in law.” (Robert Macfarlane, Is a River Alive? 2025)

With this idea by Robert Macfarlane as a starting point, environmental lawyer Jula Zenetti joins artist Stefanie Zoche to discuss the importance of river rights and their impact on nature conservation. Zenetti, who conducts research at the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research in Leipzig, explains how the concept of nature’s own rights is gaining in importance worldwide and what challenges there are in implementing it in Germany. “Recognizing rivers as legal subjects could be a decisive step towards protecting their integrity and strengthening their importance for ecosystems,” emphasizes Zenetti. Zoche adds from an artistic perspective: “The relationship between humans and water is not only deeply rooted ecologically, but also culturally – we need to make this visible.” An excerpt from her current film project about the River Ulla in Galicia will also be shown, documenting the threat posed by a planned cellulose factory and highlighting the urgency of perceiving rivers not just as resources, but as living beings with rights. The panel will be complemented by journalist and activist Claus Biegert, who is currently initiating a river partnership between the Bavarian Loisach and the Whanganui River in New Zealand. The Whanganui is the first river in the world to be officially granted legal personality in 2017.

Moderation: Katja Sarkowsky

Admission is free. Seat reservations are recommended at info@waterandsound.de

Dialogue on river rights is sponsored by the Andrea von Braun Foundation

Contributors

Jula Zenetti,
lawyer, is about to complete her doctorate on the rights of nature at the Helmholtz Center in Leipzig. She is currently working on a project on dealing with water scarcity in rural areas.
Photo: Clara Langer

Katja Sarkowsky
is Professor of American Studies at the University of Augsburg. Her research interests include life writing, indigenous studies, American and Canadian literature of the 20th and 21st centuries and the connection between law and environmental humanities.
Photo: private

Stefanie Zoche
is a visual artist with a focus on ecological themes. In her installations and video works, she questions the fragile relationship between human and more-than-human world. The focus is on the climate crisis and the use of resources such as sand and water. In In her current project “Celulosa Invasiva” she deals with the natural rights of the river Ulla.
Photo: Manu Theobaldl

Claus Biegert
is a journalist, author and filmmaker. He has been committed to indigenous rights and environmental issues for decades, founded the Nuclear-Free Future Award and is currently working on projects on river rights. Biegert has received several awards for his commitment.
Photo: Annett Melzer

July 31 – Environmental Education Center – 7:30 p.m.

Photo: Stefanie Zoche