Starting from Volume 5 Issue 2 (August 2025), the ownership of Journal of Environmental Law & Policy (ISSN: 2564-016X) will be transferred from The Grassroots Institute to Asia Pacific Academy of Science Pte. Ltd. From 1 March 2025, authors should make submissions to the new journal system and follow the author guidelines. Asia Pacific Academy of Science Pte. Ltd. will take over the publication of manuscripts being processed.
(ISSN 2564-016X; CODEN: JELPBQ; DOI: 10.33002/jelp) is an international, scientific double blind peer-reviewed open access journal published 3 times a year online by The Grassroots Institute.
Open Access—free for readers, with article processing charges (APC) paid by authors or their institutions.
High Visibility: Indexed in SCOPUS, EBSCO and HEIN. Indexing is proposed in the WoS and other databases.
Fast Publication: Provisional acceptance to the submitted article is given in 1 week time. After consent of author(s), manuscript is peer-reviewed, and a first decision provided to authors in 2-4 weeks after submission.
Recognition of Reviewers: The reviewers who provide timely, thorough peer-review reports receive vouchers entitling them to a discount on the APC of their next publication in the journal, in appreciation of the work done. Reviewers also receive Certificate for their voluntary service.
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.
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
No. of Views:
No. of Paper Downloads:
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
Anaya, J., Indigenous Peoples in International Law (2nd edn, OUP 2004).
Annette Froehlich, Space Resource Utilization: A View from an Emerging Space-Faring Nation
(Springer 2018)
Arias-Maldonado, F., Environmental Political Theory: Nature, Virtue, and Democracy (Edward Elgar
Publishing 2020)
Begum, S. M., “Environmental Justice in Bangladesh: Legal and Policy Frameworks” (2020) 12
Dhaka Law Journal 35
Berkes, F., Sacred Ecology (4th edn, Routledge 2017)
Bosselmann, K., The Principle of Sustainability: Transforming Law and Governance (2nd edn)
(Routledge 2017) 56
Boyd, D. R., The Rights of Nature: A Legal Revolution That Could Save the World (ECW Press 2017)
Boyd, D.R., The Rights of Nature: Recognizing the Right to a Healthy Environment (UBC Press 2019)
Brown, J., Legal Personhood for Nature: A Global Perspective (Cambridge University Press 2021)
Callicott, J. B., In Defense of the Land Ethic: Essays in Environmental Philosophy (State University of
New York Press 1989)
Christina Voigt, ‘Balancing Human and Ecological Interests in Environmental Law’ (2019) Env
Policy Rev 301
Christina Voigt, ‘International Environmental Law and the Global Pact for the Environment’
(2019) 49 Env Pol Rev 101
Christopher D. Stone, ‘Should Trees Have Standing? —Toward Legal Rights for Natural
Objects’ (1972) 45(2) S Cal L Rev
Commonwealth of Australia, ‘State of the Environment 2016’ (2016),
Constitution of Ecuador, ‘The Rights of Nature’, (2008) Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador.
Available at: <https://www.constituteproject.org> accessed 25 January 2025
Cullinan, C., Wild Law: A Manifesto for Earth Justice (2nd edn), (Green Books 2011)
Daniel Bodansky, The Art and Craft of International Environmental Law (Harvard University Press
2010) 96
Eduardo Gudynas, ‘Extractivism, Rights of Nature, and Environmental Conflicts in Latin
America’ (2016) 43 Am Env Pol Rev 234
Eduardo Gudynas, ‘Rights of Nature in Latin America’ (2018) 34 Ecol Law Q 183
Erin O’Donnell and Julia Talbot-Jones, ‘Creating Legal Rights for Rivers: Lessons from
Australia, New Zealand, and India’ (2018) 23 Ecology and Society 7
French, D., ‘The Global Recognition of the Rights of Nature: From Environmental Law to
Ecological Law?’ (2019) 11(2) Journal of Environmental Law
Grear, A., 'Towards New Eco-Logical Paradigms in the Anthropocene' (2017) 28 Journal of
Human Rights and the Environment 63
Griggs, D. J. A., “The Whanganui River: A Case Study of Legal Personhood” (2017) 34
Environmental Law Journal 123-145
Gupta, S. K., “The Rights of Nature in Ecuador’s Constitution: An Overview” (2010) 58 Journal
of International Environmental Law 24-48
Gupta, S. L., “The Evolution of Legal Personality in Environmental Law” (2017) 21 International
Environmental Law Journal 50
Higgins, P., 'Eradicating Ecocide: Laws and Governance to Prevent the Destruction of Our
Planet' (Shepheard-Walwyn 2010)
IPCC, ‘Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability’ (Contribution of Working
Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) (H-O Pörtner et al eds, Cambridge University Press, 2022)
Jacqueline Peel, ‘Australia’s Path to Recognizing Nature’s Rights’ (2021) Sydney Env L Rev 41,
45
James R. May and Erin Daly, Global Environmental Constitutionalism (CUP 2015) 210
John Dewey, ‘The Historic Background of Corporate Legal Personality’ (1926) 35 Yale LJ 655,
660
John Gascoigne, The Enlightenment and the Origins of European Australia (Cambridge University
Press 2002)
Jorge E. Viñuales, ‘The Contribution of the International Court of Justice to the Development of
International Environmental Law’ (2008) 32 Fordham Int'l LJ 232
Karen Scott, ‘International Law in the Anthropocene’ (2020) 31 Eur J Int Law 709
Kelsey Leonard, ‘Why Lakes and Rivers Should Have the Same Rights as Humans’ (TED, 2019),
<https://www.ted.com> accessed 25 January 2025
Knox, J. H., 'The Human Right to a Healthy Environment' (2018) 16 Human Rights Law Review
19
Kothari, A., Rights of Nature: A Global Movement (Global Forest Coalition 2017)
Kotzé, L.J., Global Environmental Constitutionalism in the Anthropocene (Hart Publishing 2020)
Kotzé, L.J. and French, D., ‘The Anthropocentric Ontology of International Environmental Law
and the Sustainable Development Goals: Towards an Ecocentric Rule of Law’ (2018) 7(2) Global Journal of Comparative Law
Langton, M., 'Earth Jurisprudence and the Law' in Maloney M (ed), Wild Law: In Practice
(Routledge 2011)
Leopold, A., A Sand County Almanac (Oxford University Press 1949)
Mayank Aggarwal, ‘India’s Supreme Court Stays Uttarakhand HC Ruling on Rivers’ (2017)
Mongabay-India, <https://india.mongabay.com>
Miller, T., Eco-Centric Legal Systems: Global Case Studies (Oxford University Press 2022)
Moran, R. J. C., “Legal Personhood for the Ganga: The Indian Supreme Court's Landmark
Decision” (2017) 33 Environmental Policy and Law 215-234
Naess, A., “The Shallow and the Deep, Long-Range Ecology Movement”, (1973) 16(1-4) Inquiry
95-100
Naomi Klein, This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate (Simon & Schuster 2014) 38
New Zealand Parliament, Innovative Bill Protects Whanganui River with Legal Personhood (2017),
<https://www.parliament.nz> accessed 25 January 2025
O’Donnell, E., ‘At the Intersection of the Sacred and Legal: Rights of Nature in Plurinational
States’ (2020) 31(2) Review of European, Comparative & International Environmental Law 233
Pacheco, L. T., “Bolivia's Mother Earth Law: Rights and Responsibilities” (2011) 22 Latin
American Law Review 87-105
Philippe Sands, Principles of International Environmental Law (3rd edn, Cambridge University
Press 2012) 300
Philippe Sands, Principles of International Environmental Law (3rd edn, CUP 2012) 147
Rahman, M. H., “Environmental Rights: A New Era in Bangladesh?” (2019) 23 Bangladesh Law
Review 45
Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the
Teachings of Plants (Milkweed Editions 2013) 56
Rüdiger Wolfrum, ‘The Principle of the Common Heritage of Mankind’ (1983) 43 Heidelberg
Journal of International Law 312
Ruru, J., ‘Listening to Papatūānuku: A Call for a Legal Personhood Model’ (2019) 6(2) Victoria
University of Wellington Law Review
Salmond, A., 'Whanganui River as a Legal Person' (2014) 20 Anthropology Today 5
Savaresi, A., 'The Rise of Community Energy from Grassroots to Mainstream: Where to Next?'
(2021) 8(1) Transnational Environmental Law 1
Senthil Kumar, K., ‘The Rights of Nature: Comparative Analysis in Ecuador and Bolivia’ (2018)
Env Law Rev 150
Shelton, D., Remedies in International Human Rights Law (3rd edn) (OUP 2015) 203
Smith, L., 'The Legal Personhood of the Whanganui River: A Turning Point for Environmental
Rights' (2020) 37 New Zealand Environmental Journal 12
Stone, C. D., “Should Trees Have Standing? Toward Legal Rights for Natural Objects”, (1972)
45(4) Southern California Law Review 450-501
Straumann, B., ‘Ancient Caesarian Lawyers’ in a State of Nature: Roman Tradition and Natural
Rights in Hugo Grotius’ De Iure Praedae’ (2006) 34 Political Theory 330, 332
Fitzmaurice, A., ‘A Genealogy of Terra Nullius’ (2007) Australian Historical Studies 129, 6
Stybel, M., ‘Challenges in Implementing the Rights of Nature in Bolivia: Law vs. Economic
Interests’ (2019) 4(1) Environmental Law Review
Taylor, P., Respect for Nature: A Theory of Environmental Ethics (Princeton University Press 1986)
The Earth Charter Initiative, The Earth Charter (2000), <https://earthcharter.org> accessed 25
January 2025
UN General Assembly, Human Rights and the Environment (2018) A/RES/73/284
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Environmental Rule of Law: First Global Report
(UNEP 2019)
Verschuuren, R., ‘Greening the Legal Frameworks in Ecuador and Bolivia’ (2012) 16 QIL 1
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
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
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
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
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
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
Crossref: | https://doi.org/10.33002/jelp050104 |
Scilit: | |
SSRN: | |
Academia.edu: | |
ZENODO: | |
OpenAIRE: | |
Scribd: | |
Publons: | |
EuroPub: | |
DRJI: | |
Cite Factor: | |
Dimensions: | |
ScienceGate: | |
J-Gate: | |
Research Gate: | |
Google Scholar: | |
Harvard Dataverse: |
Internet Archive: | |
WorldCat: |
© 2025 by the author(s). Licensee Journal of Environmental Law and Policy. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). We allow to freely share (copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format) and adapt (remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially) with a legal code: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.
Journal of Environmental Law and Policy by The Grassroots Institute is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License based on a work at www.grassrootsjournals.org.
In Partnership with
In Collaboration with
Chair, Advisory Board
Prof. Dr. Anatoly Getman, Rector
Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, Ukraine
Co-Chair, Advisory Board
Justice Mukete Tahle Itoe,Judge
High Court, Cameroon
Members
* Prof. Dr. Nataliya Malysheva (Ukraine)
* Prof. Richard L. Ottinger (USA)
* Prof. Debra L. Donahue (USA)
* Prof. Dr. Erkki J. Hollo (Finland)
* Prof. Dr. Shaista Shameem (Fiji)
* Univ. Prof. Dr. Dres. h.c. Philip Kunig (Germany/Turkey)
* Prof. Dr. Evangelos Raftopoulos (Greece)
* Prof. Dr. Koh Kheng Lian (Singapore)
Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Dr. Kamrul Hossain, Research Professor & Director
Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law University of Lapland, Finland
Deputy Editors-in-Chief
Dr. Evgeniya Kopitsa, Associate Professor
Department of Environmental Law Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, Ukraine
Deputy Editors-in-Chief
Dr. Ngozi Finette Unuigbe,Professor of Environmental Law, Policy and Ethics
University of Benin, Nigeria
Executive Editor
Dr. Hasrat Arjjumend, President & CEO
The Grassroots Institute, Canada
Associate Editor
Dr. Nivedita Chaudhary, Assistant Professor
India International University of Legal Education and Research, India
* Prof. Dr. Noga Morag-Levine (USA)
* Prof. Dr. Reed Elizabeth Loder (USA)
* Dr. Yanmei Lin (USA)
* Dr. Sumudu Atapattu (USA)
* Dr. Srividhya Ragavan (USA)
* Prof. Dr. David N. Cassuto (USA)
* Dr. Sara L. Seck (Canada)
* Prof. Daniel W. Dylan (Canada)
* Dr. Semie Sama (Canada)
* Dr. Martin-Joe Ezeudu (Canada)
* Prof. Dr. Bándi Gyula (Hungary)
* Prof. dr. habil dr. jur. Jakab Nóra (Hungary)
* Prof. Dr. David Leary (Australia)
* Prof. dr. K.J. de Graaf (Netherlands)
* Prof. dr. H.H.B. (Hans) Vedder (Netherlands)
* Prof. Dr. Mar Campins Eritja (Spain)
* Prof. Dr. Aðalheiður Jóhannsdóttir (Iceland)
* Prof. Dr. Agustín García Ureta (Spain)
* Dr. Gabriela A. Oanta (Spain)
* Dr. Teresa Fajardo del Castillo (Granada)
* Dr. Rosa M. Fernández Egea (Spain)
* Prof. Dr. Dawid Bunikowski (Finland)
* Prof. Dr. Reetta Toivanen (Finland)
* Prof. Dr. Stefan Kirchner (Finland)
* Dr. Laura Siragusa (Finland)
* Dr. Daria Shapovalova (UK)
* Dr. Avidan Kent (UK)
* Dr. Alexandra R. Harrington (UK)
* Dr. Ilaria Espa (Switzerland)
* Prof. Massimiliano Montini (Italy)
* Prof. Dr. Sonia Carmignani (Italy)
* Prof. Nicolò Giovanni Carnimeo (Italy)
* Prof. Dr. Alexander Proelss (Germany)
* Dr. Mirjana Drenovak Ivanović (Serbia)
* Prof. Dr. Rafael Leal-Arcas (UK)
* Prof. Dr. Maja Seršić (Croatia)
* Prof. Dr. Theresa Akpoghome (Nigeria)
* Dr. Irekpitan Okukpon (Nigeria)
* Dr. Pamela Towela Sambo (Zambia)
* Prof. Dr. Olena V. Hafurova (Ukraine)
* Prof. Dr. Nadiia Kobetska (Ukraine)
* Dr. Yevhenii Suietnov (Ukraine)
* Prof. Dr. Hanna Anisimova (Ukraine)
* Dr. Vasyl Nepyivoda (Ukraine)
* Prof. Dr. Ivett M. Buenavista (Mexico)
* Prof. Dr. Cristiane Derani (Brazil)
* Prof. Dr. Carina Oliveira (Brazil)
* Dr. Mariana R. Santiago (Brazil)
* Dr. Pablo Ferrara (Argentina)
* Dr. Gloria Lucía Álvarez Pinzón (Colombia)
* Prof. Dr. Damilola S. Olawuyi (Qatar)
* Prof. Dr. Qin Tianbao (China)
* Prof. Dr. A. Z. M. M. Rashid (Bangladesh)
* Dr. Stellina Jolly (India/South Africa)
* Dr. David Schorr (Israel)
* Dr. Ruxandra Malina P. M. (Romania)
* Dr. Christine Frison (Belgium)
* Prof. Valentina Durán Medina (Chile)
* Dr. Kikelomo Kila (United Kingdom)
Go to Top