The PUCE Human Rights and Nature Research Group's main objective is the critical and interdisciplinary study of the challenges and possibilities that arise at the intersection of human rights, the rights of nature, and contemporary socio-ecological transformations. From a perspective rooted in human dignity, interculturality, and plurinationality, the group aims to generate knowledge that contributes to the construction of more just, equitable, and sustainable societies, in harmony with living and cultural systems. It starts from a broad understanding of human rights, which is not limited to its liberal-individualist formulation, but incorporates collective, territorial, and ecological dimensions, characteristic of visions of Good Living and of indigenous peoples and local communities.

The group explores the multiple power relations in contexts of socio-environmental conflict, extractivism, and the violation of individual or collective rights. Thus, it seeks to strengthen the dialogue between knowledge and practices, linking academic research with social, judicial, and community processes through participatory and collaborative methodologies. Across the board, the group promotes ecological justice as a normative and political horizon, understanding that the defense of nature cannot be separated from the defense of bodies, territories, and ways of life. This research initiative aims to influence both academic debate and public policy and legal action through strategic or high-impact litigation.