Sowing the Rights of Nature in the EcoUNAE Club A University Educational Intervention

Abstract

This paper presents the experience of the EcoUNAE Club, developed at a public university in Ecuador, in the parish of Javier Loyola (Azogues, Ecuador). This educational intervention aims to promote awareness of the rights of nature through an environmental education strategy from a critical perspective. The diagnosed problem stems from the environmental crisis, resulting from anthropocentric and extractivist approaches. The actions of EcoUNAE were oriented toward fostering relationality and collaborative work to build alternative understandings of nature. From a socio-critical paradigm and a qualitative approach, this study systematized the processes of workshops and community activities aimed at students, children, and their families between 2023 and 2025. The results showed a transformation in participants’ perceptions of nature following the implementation of environmental education, with a more respectful approach that takes into account ancestral knowledge and worldviews such as sumak kawsay. The implementation described was carried out through experiential learning strategies, such as school gardens, the incorporation of cultural practices, and direct interaction with nature. Likewise, the relevance of integrating ancestral knowledge into environmental education is highlighted. In this sense, the study contributes to debates on sumak kawsay and Southern epistemologies, proposing an education oriented toward sustainability and justice.