Lauren Ellis discusses the importance of a Rights of Nature case set to protect the Ecuadorian cloud forest of Junín. Ellis highlights the work of Dr. Mika Peck, a Senior Lecturer in Biology at the University of Sussex and a researcher who has experience working in this particular setting. Located in the Intag Valley, the Junín cloud forest is under threat by the proposal of an open pit copper mine. In 2020, a ruling by the Ecuadorian court was in favor of Junín forest protection but this decision was appealed and continues to be fought against. Dr. Peck has experience in Rights of Nature cases, as he has previously provided scientific evidence in support of legal protection for the Los Cedros region, where the court ruled that the forest’s rights were indeed being violated by the mining industry. As Rights of Nature cases become more prevalent, Dr. Peck is working on the development of Ecoforensics, a knowledge exchange network where data concerning the environment and ecology can be disseminated and used in legal cases amongst stakeholders. He emphasizes how the emergence of ecological forensics could possess great potential for the progression of Rights of Nature cases.
