diff --git a/openeo/rest/connection.py b/openeo/rest/connection.py
index bc19b9ac5..0c80cedb9 100644
--- a/openeo/rest/connection.py
+++ b/openeo/rest/connection.py
@@ -1270,12 +1270,12 @@ def load_collection(
 
         :param collection_id: image collection identifier
         :param spatial_extent: limit data to specified bounding box or polygons. Can be provided in different ways:
+            - a bounding box dictionary
             - a shapely geometry
             - a GeoJSON-style dictionary,
             - a path (:py:class:`str` or :py:class:`~pathlib.Path`) to a local, client-side GeoJSON file,
               which will be loaded automatically to get the geometries as GeoJSON construct.
             - a :py:class:`~openeo.api.process.Parameter` instance.
-            - a bounding box dictionary
         :param temporal_extent: limit data to specified temporal interval.
             Typically, just a two-item list or tuple containing start and end date.
             See :ref:`filtering-on-temporal-extent-section` for more details on temporal extent handling and shorthand notation.
@@ -1294,6 +1294,9 @@ def load_collection(
 
         .. versionchanged:: 0.26.0
             Add :py:func:`~openeo.rest.graph_building.collection_property` support to ``properties`` argument.
+
+        .. versionchanged:: 0.37.0
+            Add support for shapely geometry and local path to GeoJSON file to spatial_extent argument.
         """
         return DataCube.load_collection(
             collection_id=collection_id,
diff --git a/openeo/rest/datacube.py b/openeo/rest/datacube.py
index 385d224f9..1dd15015b 100644
--- a/openeo/rest/datacube.py
+++ b/openeo/rest/datacube.py
@@ -159,12 +159,12 @@ def load_collection(
         :param connection: The backend connection to use.
             Can be ``None`` to work without connection and collection metadata.
         :param spatial_extent: limit data to specified bounding box or polygons. Can be provided in different ways:
+            - a bounding box dictionary
             - a shapely geometry
             - a GeoJSON-style dictionary,
             - a path (:py:class:`str` or :py:class:`~pathlib.Path`) to a local, client-side GeoJSON file,
               which will be loaded automatically to get the geometries as GeoJSON construct.
             - a :py:class:`~openeo.api.process.Parameter` instance.
-            - a bounding box dictionary
         :param temporal_extent: limit data to specified temporal interval.
             Typically, just a two-item list or tuple containing start and end date.
             See :ref:`filtering-on-temporal-extent-section` for more details on temporal extent handling and shorthand notation.
@@ -183,6 +183,9 @@ def load_collection(
 
         .. versionchanged:: 0.26.0
             Add :py:func:`~openeo.rest.graph_building.collection_property` support to ``properties`` argument.
+
+        .. versionchanged:: 0.37.0
+            Add support for shapely geometry and local path to GeoJSON file to spatial_extent argument.
         """
         if temporal_extent:
             temporal_extent = cls._get_temporal_extent(extent=temporal_extent)
@@ -193,7 +196,9 @@ def load_collection(
                     "Unexpected parameterized `spatial_extent` in `load_collection`:"
                     f" expected schema compatible with type 'object' but got {spatial_extent.schema!r}."
                 )
-        elif not spatial_extent or (isinstance(spatial_extent, dict) and spatial_extent.keys() & {"west", "east", "north", "south"}):
+        elif spatial_extent is None or (
+            isinstance(spatial_extent, dict) and spatial_extent.keys() & {"west", "east", "north", "south"}
+        ):
             pass
         else:
             valid_geojson_types = [
@@ -2936,4 +2941,4 @@ def _get_geometry_argument(
             warnings.warn(f"non-Lon-Lat CRS {crs!r} is not known to the proj library and might not be supported.")
             crs_name = crs
         geometry["crs"] = {"type": "name", "properties": {"name": crs_name}}
-    return geometry
\ No newline at end of file
+    return geometry