This law continues to develop the many institutions created by
the Constitution of 2008
Background
The Ecuadorian Constitution of 2008 introduced a new
environmental regime. This law established three main and important
changes; nature as a holder of rights, strict liability for
environmental damages, and conservation of the biodiversity as a
matter of public interest. Meanwhile, the Ecuadorian environmental
legislation was not congruent with the institutions created in the
aforementioned Constitution. The need for new legislation was
imperative.
On April 2017, the Ecuadorian Congress approved the
Environmental Code, which came into force on April 12, 2018. This
Environmental Code overturned all previous environmental
legislation and incorporated most of the environmental issues,
consolidating them into one law.
