The Role of the Rights of Nature in Establishing Eco-social Contracts
摘要
Since Ecuador’s landmark 2008 constitutional provisions recognizing Nature, or Pacha Mama, as a legal subject, the number of eco-jurisprudential initiatives worldwide has grown substantially. The Eco Jurisprudence Monitor has been mapping these initiatives and indicates a total of more than 400 Rights of Nature initiatives across more than 35 countries as of 2025. This paper describes the growth of the global Rights of Nature (RoN) movement, particularly noting its different conceptualizations within Western, Indigenous, and plural legal contexts. We note that the rapid growth of RoN indicates the demand for new eco-social contracts is widespread. Ecological jurisprudence, such as RoN, seeks to reshape our legal systems toward a more ecocentric and sustainable relationship with the Earth. It is grounded in the idea that the Earth is a living system and that all beings and ecosystems have inherent value and rights.