Conservation Values

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Conservation Values Ethics
Photo of Auguste Rodins The Thinker from
Wikipedia
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Ethics
The philosophy of morality, which is concerned
with what is right (good, legal, etc.) and wrong
(bad, illegal, etc.) Ethics constrains
self-serving behavior in deference to some other
good
Photo of Auguste Rodins The Thinker from
Wikipedia
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Value
Worth in usefulness or importance to the
possessor
Photo of Auguste Rodins The Thinker from
Wikipedia Definition from The American Heritage
Dictionary (1973)
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(No Transcript)
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Instrumental Value
Value that Nature has as a means to anothers
(i.e., mankinds) end
Anthropocentric viewpoint (i.e., from the
perspective of Homo sapiens as possessor)
Map from pubs.usgs.gov photo of grizzlies from
Wikipedia
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Intrinsic Value
Value that Nature has as an end in itself
Biocentric or ecocentric viewpoint (i.e., from
the perspective of Nature as possessor)
E.g., biodiversity is valuable simply because it
exists E.g., non-human species have rights
Photos from Wikipedia
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Instrumental Valuesome historical underpinnings
Gifford Pinchot(1865 1946)
First Chief of the U.S. Forest Service (1905
1910)
Coined conservation
ethic
Resource Conservation EthicUtilitarian,
anthropocentric natural resource
philosophythe greatest good of the greatest
number for the longest time
Photo from Wikipedia
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Instrumental Intrinsic Valuesome historical
underpinnings
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 1882)
Nature (1836)
Henry David Thoreau (1817 1862)
Walden (1854)
John Muir (1838 1914)
Founded Sierra Club (1892)
Romantic-Transcendental Conservation
Ethic Nature has uses other than human economic
gain biophilia
Image of Emerson, photos of Thoreau and T.
Roosevelt with John Muir from Wikipedia
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Instrumental Value
Goods food, fuel, fiber, medicine, etc.
Services pollination, nutrient cycling,
nitrogen fixation, decomposition, etc.
Information genetic engineering, applied
biology, basic science, etc.
Psycho-spiritual (E.g., biophilia, as
contrasted with biophobia) aesthetic beauty,
religious awe, scientific knowledge, etc.
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Instrumental Value
Daily et al. (1997) provide this list of
Ecosystem Goods Services Production of
ecosystem goods (e.g., seafood, wild game,
forage, timber, biomass fuels, natural fibers,
many pharmaceuticals, precursors of industrial
products) Purification of air water
Mitigation of droughts floods Generation
preservation of soils and renewal of their
fertility Detoxification decomposition of
wastes Pollination of crops natural
vegetation Dispersal of seeds Cycling
movement of nutrients Control of the vast
majority of potential agricultural pests
Maintenance of biodiversity Protection of
coastal shores from erosion by waves Protection
from the suns harmful ultraviolet rays Partial
stabilization of climate Moderation of weather
extremes and their impacts Provision of
aesthetic beauty and intellectual stimulation
that lift the human spirit
Daily et al. (1997) Issues in Ecology
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Monetizing Instrumental Value of Nature
Costanza et al. (1997) provide this list of
Ecosystem Goods Services Gas regulation
Climate regulation Disturbance regulation Water
regulation Water supply Erosion control
sediment retention Soil formation Nutrient
cycling Waste treatment Pollination Biological
control Refugia Food production Raw materials
Genetic resources Recreation Cultural
Costanza et al. (1997) Nature
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Monetizing Instrumental Value of Nature
Costanza et al. (1997) provide this estimate for
the monetary value of these Ecosystem Goods
Services 33,000,000,000,000 / yr and the
global gross national product is
18,000,000,000,000 / yr
Costanza et al. (1997) Nature
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Monetizing Instrumental Value of Nature
Balmford et al. (2002) refined the estimate of
Costanza et al. (1997) and concluded We
estimate that the overall benefitcost ratio of
an effective global program for the conservation
of wild nature is at least 1001
Balmford et al. (2002) Science
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Monetizing Instrumental Value of Nature
generally ignores Intrinsic Value
Immanuel Kant (1724 1804)
German philosopher among the most influential
thinkers of the Enlightenment
Everything has either a price or a dignity
intrinsic value. Whatever has a price can be
replaced by something else as its equivalent on
the other hand, whatever is above all price, and
therefore admits of no equivalent, has a dignity
Image from Wikipedia quote from Kant (1785)
Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals
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Religion-Based Conservation Ethics
Judeo-Christian Worldview
God apparently conferred intrinsic value on every
living creature by pronouncing Creation to be
good (see Genesis)
Images from Wikipedia
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Religion-Based Conservation Ethics
Islamic Worldview
Allah (God) calls for mans stewardship to
provide a just distribution of natural resources
across generations
Images from Wikipedia
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Religion-Based Conservation Ethics
Hindu Worldview
All beings are a manifestation of the one
essential Being (Brahman), so human beings are
to identify with respect other forms of life
Images from Wikipedia
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Religion-Based Conservation Ethics
Jaina Worldview
Parallel paths of asceticism (eschewing physical
pleasure) and noninjury of all living things
(ahimsa) free the soul from future rebirth in
the material realm
Few adherents, but Jainism has great influence,
especially in India
Images from Wikipedia
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Religion-Based Conservation Ethics
Buddhist Worldview
Regards other organisms as companions on the path
to enlightenment (nirvana), through an explicit
ethic of non-injury of and boundless
loving-kindness for all beings
Images from Wikipedia
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Religion-Based Conservation Ethics
Buddhist Worldview
Our beautiful world is facing many crises....
It is not a time to pretend everythings good
14th Dalai Lama (b. 1935)
The spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism is
arguably the foremost conservationist among the
worlds religious leaders
Photo from Wikipedia
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Human enterprise created the modern Biodiversity
Crisis and threatens a vast array of Ecosystem
Services
Why should we care?
Ehrlich Wilson (1991, Science) provide their
three-point answer
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Human enterprise created the modern Biodiversity
Crisis and threatens a vast array of Ecosystem
Services
Why should we care?
Ehrlich Wilson (1991, Science) provide their
three-point answer
1. Ethical esthetic reasons (instrumental
intrinsic value) E.g., would you rather live in
a world with or without grizzly bears, orchids,
and dragonflies? E.g., do we humans have the
right to drive species to extinction? E.g., do
we humans have the right to leave the world in
worse shape for our children and grandchildren
than it was in when we were born?
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Human enterprise created the modern Biodiversity
Crisis and threatens a vast array of Ecosystem
Services
Why should we care?
Ehrlich Wilson (1991, Science) provide their
three-point answer
2. Potential for new discoveries (instrumental
value) in food science, the pharmaceutical
industry, and manufacturing owing to the vast
riches of genetic biodiversity
3. The economic value of ecosystem services
(instrumental value) (see Costanza et al. 1997
Balmford et al. 2002)
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In-Class Debate
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In-Class Debate
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In-Class Debate
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In-Class Debate
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In-Class Debate