Challenges for the Implementation of the Rights of Nature: Ecuador and Bolivia as the First Instances of an Expanding Movement

• Date: 01 May 2021
• Published date: 01 May 2021
• DOI: 10.1177/0094582X211004898
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/0094582X211004898

LATIN AMERICAN PERSPECTIVES, Issue 238, Vol. 48 No. 3, May 2021, 192–205

DOI: 10.1177/0094582X211004898

© 2021 Latin American Perspectives

192

Challenges for the Implementation of the Rights of Nature

Ecuador and Bolivia as the First Instances of

an Expanding Movement

by

María Valeria Berros

The recognition of the rights of nature is currently being debated in the juridical,

sociological, and ethical fields. In Ecuador and Bolivia the recognition of the rights of

Pachamama (Mother Earth) began in the context of constitutional and legal amendments

more than a decade ago. This process was articulated with proposals presented as alterna-

tives to global capitalism related to the indigenous worldviews known as buen vivir or

vivir bien. An exploration of these processes identifies a number of challenges to socio-

legal research and points to the increasing acknowledgment of the rights of nature in

various countries in Latin America and other parts of the world.

Actualmente se debate el reconocimiento de los derechos de la naturaleza en los ámbitos

jurídico, sociológico y ético. En Ecuador y Bolivia el reconocimiento de los derechos de la

Pachamama (Madre Tierra) comenzó en el contexto de las enmiendas constitucionales y

legales hace más de una década. Este proceso se articuló con propuestas presentadas como

alternativas al capitalismo global y relacionadas con las cosmovisiones indígenas conocidas

como buen vivir o vivir bien. Una exploración de estos procesos identifica una serie de

desafíos a la investigación socio-legal y apunta al creciente reconocimiento de los derechos

de la naturaleza en varios países de América Latina, así como otras partes del mundo.

Keywords: Rights of nature, Socio-legal research, Legal implementation, Ecuador,

Bolivia

The main objective of this paper is to explore the diversity of proposals in the

legal field for dealing with current ecological issues and the challenge this

poses for socio-legal research. It is based on processes taking place in Latin

America, particularly in Ecuador and Bolivia, involving an increasing recogni-

tion of the rights of nature in judicial decisions, regulations, and agreements.

The predominant environmental regulations are articulated in the human right

to a healthy environment currently present in various constitutions, laws, and

international agreements. The law typically establishes the boundary between

human and nonhuman as a limit to the recognition of rights. Other dominant

proposals are those in favor of sustainable development and the green econ-

omy, involving concepts such as ecosystem services, green management, and

María Valeria Berros is an associate researcher of Argentina’s Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones

Científicas y Técnicas, a professor at the Universidad Nacional del Litoral, and a former fellow of

the Rachel Carson Center of Environment and Society at the Ludwig-Maximilians University in

Munich.

1004898LAPXXX10.1177/0094582X211004898Latin American PerspectivesBerros / RUNNING HEAD

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