Summary
The Justice and Human Rights Commission of the Congress of the Republic of Peru has published a unified bill to criminalise ecocide. Dated 21 May 2025, the legal opinion consolidates three earlier proposals—submitted by Congressmembers Américo Gonza, Isaac Mita Alanoca and Ruth Luque— into a single legislative instrument that proposes adding a new article (305-A) to the Peruvian Penal Code.
The proposed offence of ecocide would apply when a person “knowingly provokes, commits or omits an act that causes grave damage that is extensive or irreversible to the environment or its components, to environmental quality or health, or to the integrity of ecological processes.” Conviction would carry a prison sentence of not less than ten and not more than fifteen years, alongside 365 to 730 day-fines and disqualification from certain professional or public roles.
The bill provides further definitions of “grave”, “extensive” and “irreversible” damage, aligning closely with the definition of ecocide formulated by the Independent Expert Panel convened by the Stop Ecocide Foundation in 2021. These include harm to the atmosphere, land, water systems, biodiversity, and impacts on human, animal, or plant life—as well as cultural and economic resources. The bill also defines extensive damage as that which crosses borders or affects an entire ecosystem or species, and irreversible damage as that which is permanent or only recoverable over a prolonged natural period.
The Commission, chaired by Congressman Isaac Mita Alanoca, voted to approve the motion in November 2024. The May 2025 unified text reflects technical adjustments and legal precision, without altering the substance of that earlier approval. The proposal now awaits debate and approval in a plenary session of Congress, followed by presidential promulgation.
Ruth Luque Ibarra, Member of Congress for Cusco (Juntos por el Perú), said:
"Our country’s ecocide bill represents a crucial step forward in the defence of nature and the recognition that destroying ecosystems can no longer go unpunished.
With the approval of the motion and with it being ready for debate in a plenary session of Congress, Peru is aligned with international efforts to protect the environment and ensure that major environmental damage - such as massive deforestation, oil spills, mining pollution and other destructive acts - can be tried and sanctioned as serious crimes.
It is now up to us to remain proactive so that it becomes law. The protection of nature cannot wait.”
You can read the full bill here.
