When the Amazon becomes a legal person

2026 is going to be marked as the year of a historic legal change in the fight to protect the environment. The demand for the rights of nature that environmentalists have pushed for over the past few decades is finally becoming a reality.

Brazil is starting to recognize a significant portion of the Amazon rainforest ‘legal personhood,’ following the examples set by Ecuador and New Zealand.

his means Amazon will have legal rights, and harming it will be treated as a crime against a person.

Behind this change is the terrible deforestation of the past few years and the impact of climate change. Granting legal status to the Amazon allows lawuits against companies or individuals who harm the forest.

A special ‘Guardianship Board’ has been formed to handle these cases, with local indigenous leaders and environmental scientists as members.

In early 2026, Amazon filed its first major lawsuit against an international oil company, generating global attention.