Operationalizing the “Rights of Nature”: Conceptual and Enforcement Challenges in National Environmental Jurisprudence
Afghanistan Afghanistan 
China 
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Ecological Justice, Environmental Jurisprudence, Legal Personhood
Abstract
Background. Growing recognition of nature as a rights-bearing entity challenges conventional environmental law, yet legal recognition does not necessarily produce effective ecological protection.
Purpose. This study examines how national legal systems translate the rights of nature into enforceable duties and institutional mechanisms.
Method. Using qualitative doctrinal research and comparative documentary analysis, it evaluates constitutional provisions, judicial decisions, legislation, and implementation arrangements in Ecuador, Colombia, and New Zealand.
Results. The findings identify three distinct pathways: constitutional protection in Ecuador, judicial recognition and guardianship for Colombia’s Atrato River, and statutory legal personality for New Zealand’s Whanganui River. Across these models, representation, clearly assigned responsibilities, judicial remedies, and sustained monitoring influence the capacity to pursue enforcement. The analysis reveals a persistent gap between establishing ecological rights and demonstrating environmental recovery; available legal documents substantiate institutional developments but do not establish causal improvements in ecosystem conditions.
Conclusion. Longitudinal ecological assessment and further investigation of community participation are needed to evaluate whether these arrangements deliver lasting protection across different political and ecological governance contexts.
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