Advisory opinion No 001-12-DEE-CC Pays/Territoire Équateur Type de cour Nationale - cour supérieure Date Mar 20, 2012 Source UNEP, InforMEA Nom du tribunal Corte Constitucional Siège de la cour Quito Numéro de référence 0013-11-EE-dict Sujet Environnement gén. Résumé The Ecuadorian Constitutional Court is asked to review the constitutionality of a presidential decree establishing the states of sanitary exception in the canton Taisha in the Morona Santiago province after that an outbreak of a rabies virus transmitted by bats was detected. If the decree is mostly an exceptional delegation of power to stop the outbreak, it also takes into considerations the environmental context: it states that the destructions of the bat’s natural habitat for agricultural purposes are one of the reasons why bats have started to feed on humans and cattle. The court considered that the decree is in line with the constitution as it states that it is the duty of the state to take any measures to prevent the rabies outbreak to spread. Also, it held the decrees to be proportionate to the threat, as it is limited in time (seventy days) and space (the canton Taisha in the Morona Santiago province), will not affect constitutional and fundamental rights and will not interrupt the Rule of Law. Texte intégral 0013-11-EE-dict.pdf