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VOLUME 05 ISSUE 01 (APRIL 2025) - Journal of Environmental Law and Policy

Journal of Environmental Law and Policy is an international, interdisciplinary journal that facilitates an understanding of environmental governance, policy and law issues not only by drawing upon and contributing to the environmental social sciences, but also linking the ecosystem health, natural resources, and social sciences. The aim of the journal is to promote communication among academia, government, business and industry, civil society groups, citizens’ action groups, and non-governmental organizations who are instrumental in the solving of environmental problems and grassroots level issues.

VOLUME 04 ISSUE 03 (DECEMBER 2024)

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M – 00534Analytical Article

The Rights of Nature Movement: Legal, Cultural, and Policy Challenges in Implementing Eco-Centric Laws

Rawnak Miraj Ul Azam*

Department of Law, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, American International University, Bangladesh.

Email: rawnak.miraj@gmail.com | ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-7818-895X

Syeda Afroza Zerin

Department of Law, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, American International University, Bangladesh.

Email: syeda.zerin@aiub.edu | ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-8601-0310

Fahim Faisal Khan Alabi

Department of Law, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, American International University, Bangladesh.

Email: fahim.alabi@aiub.edu | ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-9122-6354

*Corresponding author

(2025) 05 (01) Journal of Environmental Law and Policy 87-116 https://doi.org/10.33002/jelp050104

Received: 24 February 2025

Accepted: 30 March 2025

Reviewed: 21 March 2025

Published: 14 April 2025

Revised: 25 March 2025

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ABSTRACT

The recognition of nature’s rights and the legal personhood of ecosystems is earning propulsion as an eco-centric legal framework, depicting an archetype shift in environmental law. This research explores the inception and advancement of this concept across different jurisdictions, centering Bangladesh, India, New Zealand, and Ecuador. They took essential footfalls to grant legal individuality to rivers, forests, and other ecosystems, aspiring to protect them from deterioration and ensure viability. Ecuador headed the validation of nature’s rights by preserving the concept in their 2008 Constitution, granting ecosystems the right to exist, replenish, and evolve. The Vilcabamba River case, which was a landmark, demonstrates the application of such rights in environmental conflicts. This research appraises the legal, cultural, and environmental connotation of these eco-centric accesses, comparing them across jurisdictions. It probes the persuasiveness of legal personhood in addressing ecological challenges and the disparity in implementation that frustrates its broader adoption. In addition, it tests how this legal modernization converges with Indigenous rights, sustainable development, and environmental justice, recommending pathways for the creation of a legal framework across-the-board that perceives the deep-seated value of nature. By analyzing the accomplishments and circumspection of these pioneering countries, this study contributes to the ongoing dialogue on establishing an internationally recognized eco-centric legal system for the protection of ecosystems.

Keywords: Rights of Nature; Legal Personhood; Eco-centric Law; Environmental Law; Indigenous Rights; Sustainable Development; Environmental Justice

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HOW TO CITE THIS PAPER?
OSCOLA Style

Rawnak Miraj Ul Azam, Syeda Afroza Zerin, and Fahim Faisal Khan Alabi, ‘The Rights of Nature Movement: Legal, Cultural, and Policy Challenges in Implementing Eco-Centric Laws’ (2025) 05 (01) Journal of Environmental Law & Policy 87-116, https://doi.org/10.33002/jelp050104

Harvard Style

Azam, R.M.U., Zerin, S.A. and Alabi, F.F.K. (2025). The Rights of Nature Movement: Legal, Cultural, and Policy Challenges in Implementing Eco-Centric Laws. Journal of Environmental Law and Policy, 05(01): 87-116. Doi: https://doi.org/10.33002/jelp050104

APA Style

Azam, R. M. U., Zerin, S. A., & Alabi, F. F. K. (2025). The Rights of Nature Movement: Legal, Cultural, and Policy Challenges in Implementing Eco-Centric Laws. Journal of Environmental Law and Policy, 05(01), 87-116. https://doi.org/10.33002/jelp050104

ACS Style

Azam R. M. U., Zerin S. A., Alabi F. F. K. The Rights of Nature Movement: Legal, Cultural, and Policy Challenges in Implementing Eco-Centric Laws. Journal of Environmental Law and Policy, 2025, 05 (01), 87-116. https://doi.org/10.33002/jelp050104

Chicago/Turabian Style

Azam, Rawnak Miraj Ul, Zerin, Syeda Afroza, Alabi, Fahim Faisal Khan. 2025. “The Rights of Nature Movement: Legal, Cultural, and Policy Challenges in Implementing Eco-Centric Laws”. Journal of Environmental Law and Policy, 05 no. 01: 87-116. https://doi.org/10.33002/jelp050104

AAA Style

Azam, Rawnak Miraj Ul, Syeda Afroza Zerin and Fahim Faisal Khan Alabi. 2025. “The Rights of Nature Movement: Legal, Cultural, and Policy Challenges in Implementing Eco-Centric Laws”. Journal of Environmental Law and Policy, 05 (01): 87-116. https://doi.org/10.33002/jelp050104

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