From Anthropocentrism to Ecocentrism: Emerging Paradigms in EU Environmental Law in the Light of the Mar Menor Case

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.