Rights of nature: The 'biocentric spin' in the 2008 Constitution of Ecuador

AutorJoaquim Shiraishi Neto - Rosirene Martins Lima
CargoJuris Doctor at the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR) - Juris Doctor in Environment and Development at the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR)
Páginas111-131
111
Veredas do Direito, Belo Horizonte, v.13 n.25 p.111-131 Janeiro/Abril de 2016
RIGHTS OF NATURE:
THE “BIOCENTRIC SPIN” IN THE 2008
CONSTITUTION OF ECUADOR1
1 Article written in the scope of the research project: “Sharing Experiences: rights of nature in the con-
text of the New Constitutionalism in Latin America: Ecuador as a reference for assessment”, with the
support of CNPq (Call 43/2013 – Human, Social and Applied Social Sciences). The article presented
herein is the result of the activities developed during the rst stage of the research, which consisted in
surveying and organizing bibliographic references related to the subject, carried out in Quito, Ecuador,
on March, 2014.
Joaquim Shiraishi Neto
Juris Doctor at the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR).
Master of Laws in Sustainable Development of the
Humid Tropics at the Federal University of Pará (UFPA).
Visiting Professor at the Law Postgraduation Program
at the Federal University of Maranhão.
Collaborator Professor at the Professional Master’s Degree
in Management of Protected Areas in the Amazon (MPGAP-INPA).
Email: jshiraishi@uol.com.br
Rosirene Martins Lima
Juris Doctor in Environment and Development at the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR).
Master of Geographyat the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR).
Professorat the State University of Maranhão (UEMA).
Email: rosirenelima@uol.com.br
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
RIGHTS OF NATURE: THE “BIOCENTRIC SPIN” IN THE 2008 CONSTITUTION OF ECUADOR
112 Veredas do Direito, Belo Horizonte, v.13 n.25 p.111-131 Janeiro/Abril de 2016
the Supreme Court of Ecuador, as well as on interviews with indigenous
leaders, which served to guide reections. As a result, the analysis of recent
legal changes experienced in Ecuador invite us to a comparative reection
on the Brazilian environmental policy.
Keywords: rights of nature; biocentric spin; “buen vivir”; new constitu-
tionalism in Latin America.
DIREITOS DA NATUREZA: O “GIRO BIOCÊNTRICO”
NA CONSTITUIÇÃO DO EQUADOR DE 2008
RESUMO
A Constituição do Equador de 2008 edicou um sistema particular de
proteção ao meio ambiente, rompendo com o paradigma dominante,
caracterizado por uma relação antropocêntrica e utilitária da natureza.
A Constituição Equatoriana elevou a natureza à condição de “sujeito de
direitos”. Tal concepção está associada ao “buen vivir” (Sumak Kawsay,
em kichwa), que se relaciona aos modos de vida e à cosmovisão dos povos
indígenas. Portanto, esse artigo objetiva compreender a construção social
desse entendimento da natureza, no contexto dos processos vivenciados
no Equador denominados “Novo Constitucionalismo Latino-Americano”.
Para cumprir o objetivo proposto, a metodologia utilizada se baseou no
levantamento e na revisão de referências bibliográcas relacionadas aos
direitos da natureza, realizada em bibliotecas de universidades e da Corte
Suprema do Equador, bem como em entrevistas com lideranças indígenas,
que serviram para orientar as reexões. Como resultado, a análise das
transformações jurídicas recentes vividas no Equador nos convidam a
uma reexão comparativa a respeito da política ambiental brasileira.
Palavras-chave: direitos da natureza; giro biocêntrico; “buen vivir”;
novo constitutionalismo na América Latina.

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