The Ecosystem Approach between Ecocentrism and Anthropocentrism
30 Pages Posted: 9 Nov 2014 Last revised: 24 Nov 2014
Date Written: January 7, 2014
Abstract
The question I address in this article is whether and to which extent the ecosystem approach is a manifestation of an ecocentric turn in international environmental law; or whether the new language of ecosystems remains contained within a legal ordering still expression of more outdated ontologies of humanity and nature. I first explore the structural ambiguities implicated by both ecology and the concept of ecosystem; then I explore ecocentric and anthropocentric articulations of the ecosystem approach; and finally, I try to assess which articulation prevails in selected areas of international environmental law.
Keywords: ecosystem approach, ecocentrism, anthropocentrism, international environmental law
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