A saltwater lagoon has been granted legal personhood, which could potentially aid its survival.
In recent years, the idyllic transparent waters of Mar Menor have turned murky due to algal blooms, and the once fresh and salty scent has been replaced by a repulsive stench of decay. Local fish have washed ashore in mounds, dead, and the tourism revenue has dropped significantly. The residents of the area are furious at this deterioration of their natural treasure. But one resident, Teresa Vicente, a professor of philosophy of law at the University of Murcia, had a novel idea: what if this ecosystem were given legal personhood rights? What if it had a guarantee to survive and protection against its destruction?
In 2019, Vicente posited these questions. Three years later, with an immense effort, she made it happen - Mar Menor became the first ecosystem in Europe to gain legal personhood rights.
Vicente was recently rewarded the esteemed Goldman Environmental Prize, an annual award given to six grassroots environmental leaders, each working on different continents. Her legal strategy, which viewed nature as an entity worthy of legal rights, was praised for setting "an important precedent for democratizing environmental protection and expanding the role of civil society in support of environmental campaigns."
Born and raised in the region of Murcia, Teresa has deep-seated fond memories of the iconic lagoon, dating back to her childhood. She reminisces about frolicking in shorts and t-shirts, teenage parties on the beach, and crystal-clear water.
Experiencing the lagoon's transformation over the years was a harsh reality check for Vicente. Decades ago, a development spree led to littering the sandbank separating the lagoon from the ocean with high-rise apartments, excessive plastic pollution, and intensive agriculture. A canal was built in 1979 that brought irrigation to turn the region into a fruit and vegetable exporter powerhouse. Today, Murcia contributes 20% of Spain's fruit and vegetable exports, shipping out 2.5 million tons of fresh produce annually, from lettuce and broccoli to lemons and artichokes.
The combined effect of these changes, climate warming and the accumulation of nitrate-filled runoffs from fertilizer, led to an ecological crisis. Algal accumulation depleted the lagoon's oxygen supply. Since 2016, three mass fish and crustacean die-offs, mussel population collapse, and 85% seagrass death have plagued Mar Menor.
In 2019, there was a massive fish and crustacean die-off that Vicente was made aware of by her students in Murcia; she returned immediately, determined to turn theory into practice.
"Right to nature" has been a subject of debate for a long time, but it recently gained traction. Employing this idea, ecosystems like the Atrato River in Colombia and New Zealand's Whanganui River have already been assigned legal-personhood status. Vicente was inspired by these examples to do the same for Mar Menor. The lagoon was already under several international protective measures, like being recognized as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance and a Special Protection Area for Wild Birds, but they weren't effective against severe pollution. "We knew that we needed to do something more than all these protections, something that goes beyond that," she says.
Vicente began raising awareness, writing an article for a local newspaper. She had initial opposition, but ultimately won the support of the riverbank communities, outraged by the pollution around them. She collected more than 600,000 signatures to demand the bill's passage, and in September 2022, Spain's senate made it into law.
Mar Menor's recovery is still underway, but it now has the legal right to conservation, protection from environmental damage, and remediation. Three new legislative bodies were created, consisting of government representatives, scientists, and local community members, to enforce these new rules. While the lagoon can't speak for itself, any citizen can now file a lawsuit on its behalf.
Vicente is determined that this innovative approach to justice will aid in stopping the pollution influx, the culprit being the nitrates, and defend Mar Menor from further harm. She ultimately hopes that nature-based solutions can rejuvenate the region.
"Right now, Mar Menor is in intensive care," she laments. "Perhaps it won't return to the same state as when I was younger, but at least it will have a life of dignity."
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Source: edition.cnn.com
