Philosophy of Conservation.

Question

Which has more value: a white spruce tree or a yew shrub?

Alberta Agriculture

Michigan State U

Question

Would you pay $1 to save the N. Atlantic right whale?

350 survive today

NOAA

Why Philosophy?

Indian poem We are limited by what we know

– Problems can only be defined by what we know

– Solutions can only be developed by what we know

Conser Bio is value ridden unlike ecology or pure sciences

Why does conservation matter to people?

Describes how we view the natural world and how we may react to conservation challenges

History Found in religious teachings

– Confucianism• Nature interrelated• Conserve nature to preserve human

society

– Buddhism• Loving kindness to nature• Still desire, reduce consumption

Conservation & Religion

Hinduism– Self realization– Respect for all life

Christianity– Two views (dominion, connected)– Use/steward

Islam– Respect for creation is respect for God– Conserve resources

Human Value Systems

Utilitarian value– Has value because it can be used

• E.g. forests for timber– Anthropocentric view

• Has value because people can use it

Utilitarian value

– Values:• Goods (timber, fish, water)• Services (sewage treatment, air filtration)• Information (clouds/weather, crow

mortality/West Nile, snow accumulation/avalanche)

• Spiritual, cultural and psychological (teachings using nature or natural objects (large pine tree to the Iroquois people), beautiful landscapes that draw in tourists, wilderness for canoe enthusiasts.

Utilitarian value

Under this view use of nature is good, non use a waste

View prevalent in settling Canada Still reflected in our laws Both white spruce and yew have uses for

people.

Intrinsic value

Has value itself People have intrinsic value How about other life forms?

Intrinsic value

Since living things and ecosystems are self organizing some consider they have intrinsic value

If you said that you would pay $1 to save the N. Atlantic right whale you agree it has intrinsic value

Ethics

Changes in philosophy (value systems) has led to changes in ethics (moral code)

Changes result from human experiences usually– Catastrophes– Tragedies– New knowledge

Examples: forestry, fishing

History of Western Ethics on Conservation

mid 19th Century– Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau,

and John Muir– Wild places as spiritual/mystical, have intrinsic

value (transcendental conservation ethic)– Natural places need protection even if they

have no economic value

John Muir worked to protect Yosemite National Park & parts of the Sierra Nevada mountains.Resulted in the founding of the Sierra Club

History of Western Ethics on Conservation

Late 19th Century Gifford Pinchot, Ted Roosevelt Need to protect areas because they had

value to humans Utilitarian conservation ethic

History of Western Ethics on Conservation

Aldo Leopold “Sand County Almanac” Is a synthesis of the other two ethics Recognizes our interconnectedness with

nature, We cannot separate what we think valuable

from those parts that we see as not valuable All parts valuable Helicopter analogy

Focus of Conservation Biology

Understanding of species extinction– Speciation– Small population viability– Design of management practices– Genetic and demographic consequences

Focus of Conservation Biology

Conserve functional attributes of ecosystems– Habitat fragmentation– Change in composition and structure– Gap analyses– Landscape ecology– Island biogeography– Restoration ecology