Del antropocentrismo al biocentrismo: el problema de los derechos de la naturaleza en el Ecuador
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This article examines the evolution of the Ecuadorian legal system regarding the rights of nature, analyzing the transition from the anthropocentric paradigm to constitutional biocentrism. The research addresses the problems generated by the instrumental vision of nature as an object of subsistence, which has historically subordinated environmental protection to economic interests and the extractivist model. The methodology combines theoretical-doctrinal analysis with normative-jurisprudential study, identifying normative elements and doctrinal principles that support the recognition of Pacha Mama as a subject of rights. Through the analysis of various rulings of the Ecuadorian Constitutional Court, the article examines how jurisprudence establishes the prevalence of the rights of ecological systems over particular and state interests. The results reveal that the Court has developed specific principles such as the precautionary, restorative and ecological tolerance principles, establishing interpretive criteria that favor environmental protection under the in dubio pro natura principle. This jurisprudence seeks to harmonize natural evolutionary processes with human activities, promoting sumak kawsay or buen vivir as a sustainable development model that preserves ecosystemic balance.
DOI: 10.71112/7kwmgf78
Author: Johnny Gustavo Palacios Soria
Institution: Universidad Metropolitana
Language: English
Topic: Environmental law and policy
Subfield: Law
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7151577541