Biodiversity Conservation and Environmental Jurisprudence: Emerging Trends in Ecological Governance

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Published: 2026-06-02
DOI: https://doi.org/10.70102/pvx3rz76
Keywords:
Biodiversity conservation, ecological jurisprudence, Biophilic Constitutionalism, rights of nature, systemic litigation, environmental governance

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Dr. Umesh Kumar
School of Law, Bahra University, Waknaghat, Solan, Himachal Pradesh.
Dr Aprajita Singh
Associate Professor, School of Law, UPES, Dehradun.
Dr. Shibayan Chattopadhyay
Assistant Professor of Law, School of Legal Studies, Seacom Skills University.
Navneet Yadav
Legal Consultant, Law Commission of India Research Scholar, Faculty of Law, Maharaja Surajmal Brij University, Kumher, Bharatpur.
Dr. Indra Daman Tiwari
Assistant Professor, School of Law ,T.S. Mishra University, Lucknow.
Dr. Pratiksha Bhardwaj
Assistant Professor (Senior Scale), SOL, UPES, Dehradun.
Dr. Megha Garg
Associate Professor, School of Legal Studies, K.R. Mangalam University.

Abstract

The paper discusses the development of the normative approaches and reveals the movement of the paradigm from passive to active management of biological diversity through the lens of litigation. This shift also highlights the fact that traditional policy tools are often ineffective at addressing some of the underlying drivers of extinctions, including habitat destruction and ecosystem instability caused by climate change. So, from providing site specific protections, judicial action has moved towards the systemic approach done through litigation for providing the various causes contributing to ecological degradation. Moreover, this paradigm transition is defined by the emergence of rights-of-nature movements and ecological constitutionalism, which are an attack on anthropocentric laws that aim to put intrinsic value into governance systems. Such incorporation of biocentric norms calls for a transformative shift towards “Biophilic Constitutionalism” that aims to properly accord nature legal personality through innovative institutional mechanisms such as “Guardians for Nature”. At the same time, the incorporation of cutting-edge technology like AI and blockchain to automatically monitor and enforce laws presents opportunities to further improve the accuracy of data collection under the new laws. In addition to these technological innovations, the judiciary has also been playing an important role in adopting the use of rights litigation as a new tool to address the deficient enforcement of patchy international agreements.

Article Details

Issue

Vol. 6 No. S1 (2026): Volume 6, Issue S1, 2026

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Articles

How to Cite

Biodiversity Conservation and Environmental Jurisprudence: Emerging Trends in Ecological Governance (U. Kumar, A. Singh, S. Chattopadhyay, N. Yadav, I. D. Tiwari, P. Bhardwaj, & M. Garg, Trans.). (2026). International Journal of Aquatic Research and Environmental Studies, 6(S1), 275-280. https://doi.org/10.70102/pvx3rz76

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