Relevance of environmental rights in sustainability, ecological awareness, and responsible management

Abstract

The growing concern for environmental conservation has accentuated the need for the rights of nature as a key concept for sustainable development. However, knowledge and perception on this topic are low in many communities. Therefore, this study focused on analyzing the level of knowledge and perception of the inhabitants of the La Dolorosa parish of Priorato Yahuarcocha about the rights of nature. As well as proposing programs and workshops that strengthen environmental education and promote sustainable practices. To do this, a survey was used focused on knowledge about the rights of nature against the exploitation of resources. In addition, the Critic and Smart methods were applied to determine the weights of the criteria and to evaluate the viability of the proposed programs and workshops. The results showed that a part of the population was unaware of the concept of the rights of nature, evidencing a general lack of understanding. In response, it was proposed to start programs focused on awareness and sustainable practices, highlighting the "Environmental Fair and Citizen Participation Workshops" as a catalytic program to involve the community. So it would facilitate citizen participation and the strengthening of environmental culture, by serving as a basis for the implementation of other programs. In conclusion, a gap in knowledge was identified, as well as the need to strengthen environmental education and citizen participation in sustainable practices at the local level.Keywords: Sustainable practices, Community ecology, Environmental impact, Environmental law.