Summary
On December 5, 2023, State of Bahia deputy Hilton Coelho (PSOL-BA) proposed an amendment to the Constitution of Bahia to the Legislative Assembly of Bahia. The amendment adds a chapter on the Rights of Nature to the State Policy on the Environment and Biodiversity Protection. The text states that “Nature’s component beings are recognised as having rights that protect their lives, natural habitat and conservation by promoting the balance of their interrelationships.”
The inclusion of the rights of nature guarantees non-human beings protection through judicial representation and, in the event of violation, the right to compensation. The maintenance of indigenous and traditional peoples’ ancestral relationship with nature is also recognised by the bill, ensuring the maintenance of these relationships as a guaranteed right to nature and the ways of life of these populations.