El reconocimiento de la Naturaleza como sujeto de derechos en la jurisprudencia ambiental colombiana: avances, desafíos y recomendaciones
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Since 2016, Colombian jurisprudence has consolidated a biocentric paradigm by recognizing nature as a subject of rights, with structural effects on the relationship between society, the State and ecosystems. Based on landmark decisions—T-622/2016 (Atrato River), STC4360-2018 (Amazon), SU-196/2023 (biocultural rights), and the most recent T-106/2025 (mercury in the Amazon) and T-081/2025 (Yukpa territorial protection)—the article reconstructs its constitutional foundations and examines recent regulatory reinforcement. The implementation gaps associated with institutional fragmentation, financing that, although slightly increasing, is insufficient (0.35% of the 2025 General Budget of the Nation), and the persistent barriers to access to justice, are critically analyzed. As a contribution, an operational ecological risk governance framework is proposed to move from recognition to material protection, using the Escazú Agreement as a procedural closure standard.
Author: Diana Patricia Ríos García
Institution: Universidad de Jaén
Language: English
Topic: Environmental law and policy
Subfield: Law
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7152011659