More Then Human Rights -MOTH Collective

What Is the MOTH Collective?

And What Does “More Than Human Rights” Have to Do with RIVERS?

Here at RIVERS, we’ve been working our way chapter by chapter through Is a River Alive?, the latest book by Cambridge author Robert Macfarlane. (Check out the thread here to tap in!)

Right as Macfarlane begins his deep dive into Ecuador’s Rights of Nature movement—boom!—he drops a shoutout to the work of MOTH and its founder, César Rodríguez-Garavito. You ever find yourself reading something and come across a quote, a name, or a book and just feel pulled to follow the thread? Well, that’s exactly what happened to us. And guess what? MOTH is epic.

Before you dive into the short video below (you should), here’s a quote from César that helps ground the concept of “More Than Human Rights”:

“The concept of more-than-human rights seeks to push forward the recognition of the rights of nature. The rights of non-human. But more importantly, it seeks to rebound, to reframe rights in general—including human rights.”
— César Rodríguez-Garavito, Founding Director, MOTH Collective

Alright Now Watch This!

Here’s the short video that introduced us to the MOTH Collective and their powerful global work. Tap in.

So What Is MOTH?

MOTH stands for More Than Human Rights, a global initiative that builds bridges between legal frameworks, Indigenous knowledge, art, ecology, and activism. Based at NYU Law, MOTH documents and amplifies the emerging legal recognition of rivers, forests, and ecosystems as rights-bearing entities.

It’s a movement that deeply aligns with what we explore at RIVERS: how rivers, forests, and mountains carry memory, story, and agency, and how our frameworks—legal, spiritual, ecological—are changing to reflect that.

Want more? We’ll keep connecting these dots between rivers, rights, and resistance as we move through Is a River Alive? and beyond. Let us know what you think. Have you seen rivers granted rights where you live? Does your river feel alive?

-RIVERS