KarunaNews Story

The Constitutional Court of Ecuador has found that coastal marine ecosystems have rights of nature, setting a precedent that allows more people to sue on behalf of nature to protect marine environments from exploitation. The case started in 2020, when industrial fishers argued that article 104 of the Organic Law for the Development of Aquaculture and Fisheries violated rights of nature, and that the Zone for Artisanal Fishing violated their rights to benefiting from nature. Disagreeing, the court determined the Zone for Artisanal Fishing was necessary to protect local fish species and their ecosystems. Expanding industrial fishing into the zone could threaten marine life, it found.