Rights of Nature and Environmental Constitutionalism in South America

This lecture by Professor Gonzalo Sozzo, part of a colloquium organized by Toulouse’s IEJUC, examines the emergence of Rights of Nature and environmental constitutionalism in South America. Sozzo highlights how countries like Ecuador and Bolivia have enshrined legal rights for ecosystems (such as rivers, forests, and Pachamama) within their constitutions. He also discusses the ecological and legal significance of these developments in adddition to the institutional and enforcement challenges these countries face. Sozzo’s analysis situates this movement within a broader global shift toward recognizing nature as a rights-bearing entity which traditional anthropocentric law frameworks.