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 19 th 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 19 th 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