Ecuador: recognizing Los Cedros as a co-author of creative work (Song of the Cedars)
In 2024, a petition was submitted to SENADI to recognize the moral authorship of the cloud forest Los Cedros as a co-creator of the "Song of the Cedars".Read More →
Latin America
This page identifies ecological jurisprudence initiatives that exist in Latin America and the Caribbean. This includes Mexico as well as the countries in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.
Ecuador Municipal Ordinance: honor and conservation of native stingless bees (Meliponini)
Puyango Canton in Ecuador approved an ordinance to protect stingless bees, in line with buen vivir, a concept that promotes harmony between humans and nature.Read More →
Ecuador court case: mining in the Ortega River basin
In August 2026, a first-instance court in Ecuador ruled that mining activities in the Ortega River basin violated the rights of nature.Read More →
Curridabat (Costa Rica) urban policy: extending citizenship to pollinators
In 2016, municipal policy in Curridabat, Costa Rica reimagined urban planning around pollinators and native plants; seeing them as citizens in their own right.Read More →
Sonora (Mexico) court case: on behalf of whales
On 30 March, 2026, a federal judge in Sonora granted a definitive suspension of Saguaro Energía LNG Project under Article 128 of Mexico’s Amparo Law.Read More →
Florencia (Colombia) Municipal Law: rights of the Hacha river
On 1 December 2025, the Municipal Council of Florencia in Colombia passed a law recognizing the Hacha River as a subject of rights.Read More →
Ecuador National Law: rights of non-human animals
In 2022, a draft national law in Ecuador on the rights of non-human animals was formally presented to the National Assembly by Ecuador’s Defensoría del Pueblo.Read More →
Santa Ana (Ecuador) Court Case: rights of the Portoviejo River
In January 2026, a Santa Ana judge declared the Portoviejo River a rights‑bearing entity and ordered contamination remediation and ongoing protections.Read More →