From Anthropocentrism to Ecocentrism: Emerging Paradigms in EU Environmental Law in the Light of the Mar Menor Case
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The European legal tradition has historically conceived nature as an object of instrumental protection, recognising its value exclusively as a resource functional to human activity. However, the progressive deterioration of global ecological balances has imposed a profound rethinking of this anthropocentric approach. The Mar Menor case in Spain constitutes a turning point, as, for the first time, a legal system of an EU Member State attributes rights and autonomous legal personality to an ecosystem. This study reconstructs the main stages of this evolution, analysing European and non-European experiences that have led the EU towards an ecocentric model of environmental protection.
Author: Cianconi, Denis
Language: English
Topic: Environmental law and policy
Subfield: Law
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7171747839