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Paper short abstract:

Mar Menor has become the first european ecosystem to be granted legal status as a person thanks to people's initiative. This law learns from the Global South towards ecological justice and environmental peace. Thus, International Public Law should discuss both humans and nature as rights-holders.

Paper long abstract:

The nature rights movement is relatively young in Europe. However, thanks to people's initiative the Mar Menor lagoon and its basin (Spain) has become the first ecosystem in Europe to be granted legal status as a person.

It is not only recognised to have its own rights but also the capacity to exercise them through representation - by the "Mar Menor Defense Office" or any entitled citizen -, that also limits the exercise of others who may deteriorate the ecosystem.

This new law is adopted to address the inefficiency of current environmental regulations and management (local, national, european and international) that refer to nature both as a resource and an object that can be owned. In order to do so, it learns from the Global South's (Latin America's) experiences and joins other local efforts to shift the global paradigm towards ecological justice and environmental peace.

Recognising nature as a rights-holder means reconsidering fundamental law concepts. To this end, International Public Law can be discussed through social justice and ecological justice approaches. As a result of combining both perspectives, not only do nature's rights get to be recognised, but also their interdependency with human rights.