Research Lines

I have become one of the most recognized voices in rewilding philosophy in Spain, having been invited on numerous occasions to speak about it at academic conferences, municipal events, and public activities. I firmly believe that rewilding holds immense philosophical potential to reshape the way we relate to and coexist with wildlife. My previous coordination of the funded ERA-CERES project allowed me to work with professionals from diverse fields of knowledge on rewilding and other conservation biology strategies. Most of my work on these topics has been published as books with reputable academic publishers, and I currently have several papers (on the functionalism of rewilding, the high-tech rewilding, and the axiological landscape of conservation triage) under review in high-impact journals.

Key contributions:

• Moyano-Fernández, C. (2025). Rewilding and Ecological Justice: The Ethics and Politics of Wildlife Regeneration. Routledge, Conservation Series. ISBN 9781032830810.
• Moyano-Fernández, C. (2025). Asilvestrarse. Volver a la naturaleza. CSIC / Zahorí Books. ISBN 978-84-19889-36-2.
• Moyano-Fernández, C. (Ed.). (2024). Puentes salvajes. Una filosofía integradora para renaturalizar el Antropoceno. Plaza y Valdés. ISBN 978-84-17121-85-3.
• Moyano-Fernández, C.; Tafalla, M.; Arribas-Herguedas, F.; et al. (2023). A Roadmap for Rewilding Ethics in the Anthropocene. A Philosophical Toolkit for Identifying and Mitigating Ethical Conflicts in Rewilding Practices. Fundación BBVA / Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. https://era-ceres.com/index.php/recursos/ 
• Moyano-Fernández, C. (2022). Ética del rewilding. Plaza y Valdés. ISBN 978-84-17121-44-0.
• Moyano-Fernández, C. (2022). Building ecological solidarity: rewilding practices as an example.Philosophies, 77(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies7040077. SJR Q2.

I work on an ecosocial (ecological and social) theory of justice grounded on capabilities approach, offering some arguments that I consider key to rethinking ethically and politically the collapse we are living and dying through. Some of my research is based on the assumption of a non-ideal approach to justice and the contextual need for triage, arguing that normative arguments should start from sufficientarianism and limitarianism. I also advocate for integrationist and non-anthropocentric points of view, and humility and caring virtues.

Key contributions:

• Moyano-Fernández, C. (2023). Rethinking the Environmental Virtue of Ecological Justice from the Interdependencies of Non-Human Capabilities and Synergetic Flourishing. Philosophies, 8(6). https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies8060103. SJR Q2. [Best paper award].
• Moyano-Fernández, C. (2023). Límites ambientales y justicia ecosocial. Un diálogo filosófico con la igualdad de capacidades. CSIC / Plaza y Valdés. ISBN 978-84-17121-82-2.
• Moyano-Fernández, C.; Garrido Soler, S.; Del Río, J.; et al. (2022). When the community takes action: building resilience through the Transition Movement in Spain. A critical assessment. In: (Eco)systems of Resilience Practices. Elsevier. pp. 191-212. ISBN 978-012-819-198-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-819198-9.00002-8. 

I am currently one of the leading researchers in Environmental Health philosophy and the ethics of One Health in Spain. Since the beginning of my academic career, I have focused on a more-than-biomedical and beyond-clinical approach to bioethics. Grounded in scientific evidence, I recognize that human health is deeply interconnected with the health of nonhuman beings. Zoonoses, antimicrobial resistance, food security, and other emerging global threats to human health are consequences of an unstable relationship with wildlife. For the past decade, I have also been part of several academic groups and projects dedicated to the study of public health ethics (e.g. LIBERESP, ESPACyOS, ATLAS Bioethics Center, GEHUCT).

Key contributions:

• Moyano-Fernández, C. (2026). One Health Ethics for emerging Public Health threats. Minding the gap between moral mandates and health extension to non-humans.Journal of Public Health, 47(1).https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdaf100.SJR Q1.
• Moyano-Fernández, C. & Guerra-Palmero, M.J. (2025). Care Ethics for Mitigating Emergent Environmental Health Vulnerabilities. In: Care Ethics & Public Health. Peeters. ISBN: 978-90-429-5608-7.
• Moyano-Fernández, C. (2025). One Health, conservación y triaje. In: Con la salud pública no se juega. Plaza y Valdés. ISBN: 978-84-17121-97-6.
• Delgado, J.; De Manuel, A.; Parra, I.; Moyano-Fernández, C., et al. (2022). Bias In Algorithms Of AI Systems Developed For COVID-19: A Scoping Review. Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, 19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11673-022-10200-z. SJR Q2.
• Moyano-Fernández, C. (2022). La salud desde la justicia ecológica: de la regeneración de la naturaleza salvaje a la prevención de futuras pandemias.Revista Española de Salud Pública, 96. SJR Q3.

My primary interest lies in exploring the environmental costs of artificial intelligence and the moral trade-offs involved in emerging technologies. While I am not a technophobe, I am skeptical of techno-optimism and advocate for a cautious use of high-tech systems in particular. I do not agree with the assumption that technologies are intrinsically neutral; rather, I see them as value-laden.

Key contributions:

• Moyano-Fernández, C. (2026). The Ecological Value of Artificial Intelligence. In: Regulating Autonomy: Ethics, Values and Governance in Artificial Intelligence. Springer. ISBN: 978-3-032-13062-4.
• Moyano-Fernández, C., Rueda, J., Delgado, J. & Ausín, T. (2024). May Artificial Intelligence take health and sustainability on a honeymoon? Towards green technologies for multidimensional health and environmental justice. Global Bioethics, 34(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/11287462.2024.2322208. SJR Q1.
• Moyano-Fernández, C. & Rueda, J. (2024). AI, Sustainability and Environmental Ethics. In: Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. Springer. pp. 219-236. ISBN 978-3-031-48134-5. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48135-2_11. 
• Moyano-Fernández, C. (2023). ¿La IA usada en biología de la conservación es una buena estrategia de justicia ambiental?. Daimon, 90. https://doi.org/10.6018/daimon.561551. SJR Q2.

This topic was one of my first research interests when I started my academic career. I have explored two main issues: the unreasonableness of food systems based on animal protein and the limitations of novel cultured meat production. I argue that meat farming (whether industrial, extensive, or lab-grown) should be substantially reduced for moral reasons. Concepts such as freedom, equality, republicanism, and sustainability have guided some of my philosophical analyses in this work.

Key contributions:

• Moyano-Fernández, C. (2022). The moral pitfalls of cultivated meat: complementing utilitarian perspective with eco-republican justice approach. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 36(23). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10806-022-09896-1. SJR Q1.
• Moyano-Fernández, C. (2022). Rewilding identitary foodscapes. In: Transforming food systems: Ethics, innovation and responsibility. Wageningen Academic Publishers. pp. 152-158. ISBN 978-90-8686-387-7. https://doi.org/10.3920/978-90-8686-939-8_22.
• Moyano-Fernández, C. (2021). The loss of food sovereignty in synthetic meat transition: a critique from eco-republicanism. In: Justice and Food Security in a Changing Climate. Wageningen Academic Publishers. pp. 103-108. ISBN 978-90-8686-362-4. https://doi.org/10.3920/978-90-8686-915-2.
• Moyano-Fernández, C. (2018). ¿Alimentarnos libremente o por igual? Solidaridad e identidad. Revista de Bioética y Derecho, 42, pp .89-104. https://doi.org/10.1344/rbd2018.1.21553. SJR Q3.