Ecuador's rights of nature

Costa Rica has policies that protect their diverse ecosystems and natural resources, recognizing our need for natural beauty, protecting native species and embracing ecotourism. Recently, I was reading about another country that is also taking conservation very seriously: Ecuador. This country has the “rights of nature” written into its constitution, giving nature and individual wild animals conditional protection.

I experienced Ecuador in January 2023, when we traveled there to surf. We arrived in Ecuador during one of the biggest northwest swells in 15 years. On our first day, our Ecuadorian guide drove us from the airport at 4 a.m. to the only surf spot that could handle such a big swell. We drove five hours north to a large fishing village called San Mateo. Large waves broke on either side of the jetties, completed in 2013, which created two surf breaks where there had been one before. After those epic, scary surf sessions, we drove south to our destination in Montañita, a popular spot for tourists and surfers.

We surfed Montañita’s awesome waves for about a week and then,

wanting a wildlife adventure, we chose a boat tour of Isla de la Plata. This island is known as the “poor man’s Galápagos” because it features similar wildlife at a low price. The island was aptly nicknamed because the tour $35/person for the round-trip boat ride, snacks, lunch, a guided tour of the island with a wildlife biologist, and a snorkeling adventure.

Isla de la Plata (Island of the Silver) is located approximately 25 miles off the coast of Manabí near the town of Puerto López in Machalilla National Park. The island is special because it is a massive nesting ground for the blue-footed booby; we observed hundreds of mating pairs. Other boobies that frequent the island include the Nazca Booby, the red-footed booby and the brown booby (which I have seen on Cumberland Island).

The name Isle de la Plata has two possible origins. In 1579, Sir Francis Drake, an English explorer and privateer, raided Spanish ships with silver-laden galleons. Legend says he used the island to divide the immense silver haul with his crew and hid part of it there. The second possible origin is that the island shines silvery in the sun because it is covered in guano (bird droppings).

In 2008, Ecuadorian courts recognized the “rights of nature,” which they call Pachamama. Ecuador is the first country in the world to enshrine legal rights to nature in its national constitution. In 2022, Ecuador took a further step in recognizing the individual rights of animals in a landmark ruling giving a woolly monkey named Estrellita ("little star”) constitutional rights. The court ruled that her rights to life and ecological integrity were violated when she was taken from the wild and later, when she died, taken from a human caretaker after 18 years. The ruling now protects individual wild animals, noting they possess the right to exist, develop, and live free from cruelty.

This ruling is very interesting because it differentiates between wild and domesticated animals. A clause in the constitution’s animal rights states that humans have the right to eat meat. Domesticated animals do not have the same rights as wild species. Animal husbandry, agriculture and fishing are all permitted. Unfortunately, in conventional food production, many animals raised for consumption endure both cruelty and suffering. The legislation mandates comprehensive animal welfare laws that include domestic animals.

A travel note for readers planning a trip to South America. After traveling through much of Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru, Ecuador felt safe. Unlike the countries mentioned above, Ecuador did not have highly secured

walled or barred residences. The people are welcoming, kind and friendly. Ecuador uses the U.S. dollar, and the dollar still goes a long way in Ecuador.