The River Ethiope Catchment communities are mainly farmers and petty traders with an estimated population of 1.7 million people in five local government areas in Delta State Nigeria. River Ethiope is a critical life source for people and wildlife species but decades of human-driven pollution and overuse are jeopardizing its sustainability. A 2010 study concluded that the River?s water quality falls dangerously below the World Health Organization?s safety standards. Erosion of ecosystem infrastructure and effects of climate change leave the river vulnerable to both drought and flooding. Moreover, the River is culturally sacred, and its loss takes with it generations of tradition. Ineffective existing laws and the lack of coordinated management and oversight encourages the River?s ongoing deterioration. To address these challenges, River Ethiope?s stakeholders have signed declaration ?Rights of River Ethiope Declaration 2020? and called for establishment of Rights of Nature for River Ethiope. The goals of this project are to incorporate rights of the River Ethiope in laws and policies of Delta State Nigeria; raise awareness, encourage, and empower key stakeholders and the public to embrace and protect the River Ethiope by reversing pollution practices and engaging in scientifically guided restorative efforts and to provide focused training programs targeting environmental stewardship of the River Ethiope Basin. These goals are engineered to protect the River Ethiope, while establishing precedent for protecting rivers throughout Nigeria and Africa