Which term describes the ethical framework that emphasizes the intrinsic value of ecosystems as wholes?

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Ecocentrism is the ethical framework that emphasizes the intrinsic value of ecosystems as wholes. It treats entire ecological systems—the interactions among organisms, their habitats, and the processes that sustain them—as having value in their own right, not just as resources for humans. This perspective argues that the health, functioning, and integrity of ecosystems deserve moral consideration, and actions should be evaluated by their impact on the ecosystem as a complete entity, including long-term ecological balance.

In contrast, anthropocentrism centers ethical concern on human interests and benefits, often measuring actions by their utility to people. Biocentrism extends moral consideration to living beings, but typically focuses on individual organisms rather than the ecosystem as a whole. Environmental ethics is the broader field that studies these kinds of frameworks but is not itself the stance that privileges ecosystems as wholes.