RIGHTS OF NATURE: THE “BIOCENTRIC SPIN” IN THE 2008 CONSTITUTION OF ECUADOR

Abstract

The 2008 Ecuadorian Constitution built a particular system for environment protection, breaking the dominant paradigm characterized by an anthropocentric and utilitarian relation with nature. The Ecuadorian Constitution raised the nature of the condition "subject of rights". Such a conception is associated to "buen vivir" (Sumak Kawsay in Kichwa), which relates to the ways of life and world view of native peoples. Therefore, this article aims at understanding the social construction of this understanding of nature in the context of the processes experienced in Ecuador and called "New Latin American Constitutionalism". To meet the proposed objective, the methodology used was based on the survey and review of references related to the rights of nature, held in university libraries and at the Supreme Court of Ecuador, as well as on interviews with indigenous leaders, which served to guide reflections. As a result, the analysis of recent legal changes experienced in Ecuador invite us to a comparative reflection on the Brazilian environmental policy.