Abstract
LUMEN will demonstrate that the ecosystem approach, originally introduced for the protection of biodiversity, can be used as the backbone of a comprehensive transcultural and transnational eco-legal system, due to the existence of a common cultural background beyond the appearing “fracture” between man and nature that characterizes the Anthropocene’s crisis. This assumption will be demonstrated through the analysis of the innovations coming from Latin America and Africa, based on integral and unitary visions of “man and nature” and the traces of the ecosystem approach in environmental laws of European States. Even though the current environmental law system is falling short of offering adequate solutions to such crisis, the law remains a strategic asset to foster social, economic, and cultural transformation, and shall contribute to building a comprehensive and holistic response to safeguard the “higher interest” of the interconnected globe and all its human and non-human components. LUMEN aims at exploring and defining the existing common ground for the ecosystem approach through the comparative analysis of case studies from Europe, Latin America and Africa with the purpose of translating it into a viable and inclusive model for future normativity, in Europe and beyond. The research results will be “innovative governance models”, enabling sustainability through the application of “new knowledge”. In fact, traditional and local knowledge can be embedded in the current legal system, resulting in innovative legal frameworks and paradigms. The key to the achievement of such a goal is a transnational and transcultural approach, producing a tripartite dialogue between continents and different environmental cultures and normative frameworks Achieved results: We obtained more than what was foreseen at the beginning both in scientific terms and with respect of impact with stakeholders. As for the scientific side: milestone 4 was to produce a manuscript for a future book. We went more ahead of this, as the book has already been publishe (https://www.routledge.com/Law-Nature-and-the-Ecosystem-Approach-Modelling-a-Transcultural-Eco-Legal-Framework-across-Europe-and-Latin-America/Bagni-Baldin-Federico/p/book/9781041168539). As for the impact of the research with stakeholders: there were no outcomes in the programme. We foresaw only to produce model laws, which are published in our website. From the beginning of the project, we started an active and permanent collaboration with different stakeholders: Federazione per i diritti del lago di Garda; IDRA, a network which coordinates social and environmental movements and associations for the rights of the Venice Lagoon; Climavore X Jameel at RCA, a project involved in defending the free circulation of local seeds; Ecomuseo delle Acque del Gemone, a public entity involved in a process for the draft of a river contract in Friuli-Venezia-Giulia. These stakeholders asked the research team to collaborate and legally assist them in their respective missions. So, the model laws that the research team produced have been tested or are now being tested as concrete legislative initiatives which the various communities are discussing in participatory bottom-up processes Here follow the deliverables foreseen and realized with our project: · LUMEN’s website and blog, targeting both the general public as well as academics, with the purpose of effectively disseminating results and activities, as well as communicating events: https://site.unibo.it/lumen/it (also in English version) · 1 edited volume: S. Bagni, S. Baldin, V. Federico (eds), Law, Nature and the Ecosystem Approach. Modelling a Transcultural Eco-Legal Framework across Europe and Latin America, Routledge, New York/London, 2026, ISBN 9781041168539, pp. 1-364, http://www.routledge.com/9781041168539 · More than 1 essay published by each member of LUMEN consortium · 1 Call for papers reserved for young scholars (milestone 1): the call for paper was published from March to June 2024 and selection process terminated on the 10 July 2024. · 1 Mid-term Conference at UniFi (milestone 2): the mid-term conference was held in Florence on the 19-20 November 2024; · 1 Final Conference at UniBo: the LUMEN final conference was held in Forlì campus of the University of Bologna, on the 10-11 October, 2025. · 1 workshop of presentation of the “Model law of the rights of nature in Europe” at UniTs, targeting policy-makers, stakeholders, journalists, students: the workshop was held in Trieste on the 23 May 2025 · 1 package of model laws (milestone 4): we have published our model laws in the LUMEN website (https://site.unibo.it/lumen/it/progetto/modelli-di-legge) · 1 production of training podcasts for Judges on: The judge and the protection of environment and ecosystems after the Constitutional Reform of art. 9 and 41 Const. and for Parliamentary Groups on: Comparative normative up-dates in the field of environment and ecosystems after the constitutional reform of art. 9 and 41 Const.: a LUMEN podcast of 8 episodes has been realized. It is available on Spreaker https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/introduzione-al-diritto-ecologico--7109821; Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/033zgmNgn9CFZriU4g8wJc; Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1896933170 · 1 collection of video-pills to story-tell experiences, places and peoples from the activities of the project: we have published the videopills in our website (https://site.unibo.it/lumen/it/progetto/video-pillole) · 2 lectures to the Jean Monnet module 2022/2025 EU_SOCIAL “European Solidarity: Comparative Interdisciplinary Approach to Law, Politics and Social Challenges”, PI prof. S. Ragone (UniBo): the two lectures have been held on the 2 and 4 December 2024 · 1 lecture for high school students: Silvia Bagni gave a lecture for four classes of Liceo Minghetti in Bologna on the 15 January 2026; Serena Baldin gave a lecture for 57 high school students on “La circolazione dei diritti della natura dall’America Latina all’Europa”, within the “Moduli Formativi Estivi” organized by UniTS, 1 july 2025, Trieste; Prof. V. Federico “Ecofumetti: il diritto della natura tra Africa ed Europa”: two-days workshop with high school students at the Institute Forlesi, Portoferraio (LI), 16-17 January 2026 · Participation to a minimum of 6 national/international conferences · Compensative CO2 emissions measures aiming at the “greening” of the UniFi campus of Novoli.
Dettagli del progetto
Responsabile scientifico: Silvia Bagni
Strutture Unibo coinvolte:
Dipartimento di Scienze Politiche e Sociali
Coordinatore:
ALMA MATER STUDIORUM - Università di Bologna(Italy)
Contributo totale di progetto: Euro (EUR) 242.097,00
Contributo totale Unibo: Euro (EUR) 96.445,00
Durata del progetto in mesi: 24
Data di inizio
30/11/2023
Data di fine:
28/02/2026
