en
Studia Iuridica

THE PERSONHOOD OF RIVERS IN ECUADOR. USING THE CASE ANALYSIS METHOD

2025, 109, No. 1

Andres Martinez-Moscoso

0000-0002-8952-0680

Universidad San Francisco de Quito

Israel Castro-Enriquez

0000-0003-1310-8064

Universidad San Francisco de Quito

DOI

10.31338/2544-3135.si.2025-109.9

Publication date

30.04.2026

Publishing model

open access

License type

CC BY 4.0 Int.

Field

law studies

Discipline

law

Language of publication

English

Downloads

PDF 404 KB

Article

Number of views:52

Number of downloads:15

Crossref citations:0

Altmetric score:0

Abstract

This paper studies the legal recognition of rivers as subjects of rights in Ecuador through a case study methodology, focusing on two landmark rulings by the Constitutional Court involving the Aquepi and Monjas Rivers. This study highlights the importance of demonstrating how Ecuador’s constitutional framework has evolved from symbolic recognition of the rights of nature to concrete judicial enforcement. Using a qualitative legal analysis, the article explores how ecological flow and the interdependence of environmental and human rights serve as the basis for the legal personhood of the rivers. The Aquepi case led to the creation of a water protection area, while the Monjas case prompted a combination of gray infrastructure and nature-based regulatory measures. These cases underscore that Ecuador’s ecocentric constitutional model is pioneering, and the recognition of nature’s rights is often contingent upon their connection to human rights. Ultimately, the study concludes that enforceability remains the greatest challenge for the sustainability of such rulings.

Keywords:

Rights of Nature,rivers,subject of law,water

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