Madras (India) High Court Case: personhood for the Thamirabarani river
In July 2026, the Madras High Court of India recognized the personhood of the Tamirabarani river on the basis that "She is a deity" and cannot be polluted.Read More →
Court
This page identifies ecological jurisprudence initiatives that are established by a court ruling in which ecological jurisprudence principles are not invoked by either claimants or defendants, but rather judges unilaterally invoke these principles in their decisions.
Spain criminal court case: industrial agriculture and the pollution of the Mar Menor
On 20 May 2026, the Mar Menor lagoon appeared before the Provincial Court in Cartagena as a victim and private prosecutor in a criminal case.Read More →
Belize court case: rights of the barrier reef
In 2011, the Court of Appeal of Belize upheld a witness testimony that acknowledged coral reefs as living and complex ecosystems that are not property.Read More →
Gujarat (India) High Court Case: Abdulkadar Mohamad Azam Sheikh v State of Gujarat
In 2010, the High Court of Gujarat in India ruled in favor of a case against the captivity of birds that the court determined constituted curel treatment and viRead More →
Ecuador court case: rights of the Irquis River
In 2025, a court in Ecuador recognized the Irquis River’s rights, ordering its restoration and the creation of a water management plan to care for the river.Read More →
Inter-American Court of Human Rights Advisory Opinion 32/25: climate emergency and human rights
In May 2025, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights published an Advisory Opinion on the climate emergency, affirming the Rights of Nature for the first time.Read More →
Resistencia (Argentina) municipal court case: rights of Laguna Francia
In 2024, the Municipal Court of Resistencia in Chaco, Argentina ruled that the Laguna Francia is a subject of rights.Read More →
Panama Supreme Court Case: Sierra Llorona Nature Reserve
In June 2024, Panama’s Supreme Court suspended the Caribbean Corridor road project through the Sierra Llorona Nature Reserve, citing rights of nature violationsRead More →