Summary
In 2014, GARN held the 1st international rights of nature tribunal in Quito, Ecuador. The citizens’ tribunal served as a model for how courts could operate under rights of nature laws, specifically the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth. Some verdicts invoke indigenous principles, such as the concepts of pachamama or living well.
Judges heard six cases: British Petroleum Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Case; Chevron/Texaco Case; Climate Change Case; Condor Mirador Mine Case; Defenders of Nature and Mother Earth Case; and the Yasuni ITT Case. Each verdict recognized that rights of nature were violated and called upon various agencies to recognize rights of nature. The panel of judges has yet to deliver a judgment on the British Petroleum Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Case.
Involved Organizations
Suggested Citation:
Kauffman, Craig, Catherine Haas, Alex Putzer, Shrishtee Bajpai, Kelsey Leonard, Elizabeth Macpherson, Pamela Martin, Alessandro Pelizzon & Linda Sheehan. Eco Jurisprudence Monitor. V2. 2025. Distributed by the Eco Jurisprudence Monitor.https://ecojurisprudence.org/initiatives/international-rights-of-nature-tribunal-2014-in-quito/.
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