Ecuador is the only country in the world whose constitution recognizes nature\u2019s rights to exist, regenerate and be restored, though hundreds<\/a> of court rulings, local laws, nonbinding declarations and other initiatives worldwide recognize nature\u2019s rights in some form.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Jambato harlequin toad is recognizable by its bright orange belly and glossy black back. Water is essential to its survival. During the breeding season, females lay their eggs in clear streams and rivers, the tadpoles developing beneath riverbed stones. Protecting the toad\u2019s interconnected terrestrial and aquatic habitats is critical to its survival.\u00a0<\/p>\n Once thought to be extinct, the Jambato harlequin toad was rediscovered in 2016 by a child in Angamarca. Scientists estimate the population to be somewhere between 92 and 359. Because its numbers are so small, research suggests the species may have limited genetic diversity, making it less capable of adapting to new threats.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Ecuadorian court found that the highway project, which had been slated to begin its most intensive phase on Jan. 5, would cause \u201cmassive earthmoving,\u201d debris dumping and disturbances in nearby streams where the toads reproduce, potentially irreversibly damaging or destroying their only known habitat.<\/p>\n \u201cThis road poses an imminent and serious threat to the constitutional rights of this species,\u201d the judge wrote in his decision.<\/p>\n The Ecuadorian government, Hern\u00e1ndez Andino added, \u201cmust prevent and restrict activities that cause the extinction of species, the destruction of ecosystems or permanent alterations of natural cycles.\u201d<\/p>\n He ordered all use of heavy machinery halted until comprehensive environmental studies on the road\u2019s projected impact on the Jambato harlequin are completed and a species protection plan is approved. The court also found that provincial authorities had relied on an environmental certificate intended for low-impact maintenance work, despite the project\u2019s significant repercussions in an area designated for special conservation.<\/p>\n \u201cDespite early warnings and formal requests made since 2024 by organizations such as the Jambato Alliance, provincial and environmental authorities have responded only partially or have shirked their responsibilities,\u201d the opinion said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Cotopaxi province did not respond to requests for comment. It is not immediately clear whether provincial authorities will comply with the court\u2019s order\u2014locals in Angamarca reported that officials moved heavy machinery to construction sites earlier this week.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cDefending Life in All Its Forms\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Ecuador is one of the most biologically diverse nations on Earth. Its ecosystems, from Angamarca\u2019s high-altitude wetlands to the Amazon rainforest, are home to plants and animals found nowhere else on Earth, with new species still being discovered.\u00a0<\/p>\n Local environmental defender Nayerli Ca\u00f1izares Barrag\u00e1n said the ruling offers hope and stands as a symbol of the ongoing fight to defend nature and humans\u2019 environmental rights.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis ruling reminds us that defending life in all its forms is indeed worthwhile,\u201d said Ca\u00f1izares Barrag\u00e1n, a volunteer with the nonprofit Jambato Alliance, speaking in Spanish.<\/p>\n This story is funded by readers like you.<\/p>\n Our nonprofit newsroom provides award-winning climate coverage free of charge and advertising. We rely on donations from readers like you to keep going. Please donate now to support our work.<\/p>\n Donate Now<\/a> <\/p>\n The lawsuit, a request for \u201cprecautionary measures\u201d to stop a violation of rights, was brought by lawyer Gustavo Ricardo Red\u00edn Guerrero on behalf of the toad. Under Ecuadorian law, anyone can act to enforce nature\u2019s rights.\u00a0<\/p>\n Red\u00edn Guerrero said the decision reflects a core attribute of Ecuador\u2019s rights-of-nature jurisprudence: When there is a risk of extinction, the burden of proof shifts to the government to prove with scientific certainty that its proposed action will not lead to that outcome. Under conventional environmental law, the burden generally rests on environmentalists.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe judge agreed there is a very high risk,\u201d Red\u00edn Guerrero said. \u201cSo he ordered the government to stop the road until they can prove it will not endanger the species.\u201d<\/p>\n The case was filed on Saturday, after the province of Cotopaxi posted videos on social media announcing that new construction would begin on Jan. 5. The court issued its decision on Sunday evening.<\/p>\n \u201cYou move the road a few meters, you protect the river. Development and conservation are not opposites.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 lawyer Gustavo Ricardo Red\u00edn Guerrero<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Red\u00edn Guerrero, along with local community members, the Jambato Alliance and the nonprofit Ecuadorian Coordinator of Organizations for the Defense of Nature and the Environment, acted swiftly because they had proactively conducted<\/a> years of scientific research<\/a> in the high-altitude wetland ecosystems in the region.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe scientists and the community already had the studies,\u201d Red\u00edn Guerrero said. \u201cWithout that work, we couldn\u2019t have done anything.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n He said the highway could be built without endangering the toad by rerouting sections away from rivers and sensitive habitat, with only minimal additional costs.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not against the road,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are saying: Stop construction until there is scientific information that guarantees this species will not go extinct.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cYou move the road a few meters, you protect the river. Development and conservation are not opposites.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
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