Cianconi, Denis. “From Anthropocentrism to Ecocentrism: Emerging Paradigms in EU Environmental Law in the Light of the Mar Menor Case.” BioLaw Journal – Rivista di BioDiritto, no. 2 (2026): 685–698. https://doi.org/10.15168/2284-4503-4232
Abstract: The European legal tradition has historically conceived nature as an object of instrumental protection, recognising its valué 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.
Keywords: anthropocentrism; ecocentrism; Rights of Nature; Mar Menor; Principies of Environmental Law