Intrinsic Value Of Nature Research Articles

A Critique of Deep Ecology

Deep ecology, in its broad meaning, is used by Naess to refer to the broad ecocentric grass-root effort as contrasted with an anthropocentric approach to achieve an ecologically balanced future. Deep ecology embraces a deep approach by speaking about the intrinsic value of nature. In this connection, Naess advocates the principle of biospheric egalitarianism claiming equal moral worth of all beings, human and non-human alike. It is an approach of realising man’s position in the larger web of things. In practice, deep ecology is a movement which is concerned with the solution of grass-root social and political problems for an ecologically sustainable future. In principle, it upholds a holistic view of nature transcending the narrow ego-centric self that undertakes a thesis of Self-realization or identifying oneself with the greater ecological-Self. This work is a critical study of the deep ecology philosophy. The basic focus of this work, centres around the debate among the different schools of environmental philosophy, particularly, the criticism of deep ecology by social ecology.

Conserving Natural Values to Mitigate Environmental Degradation in Africa

One of the gravest predicaments that Africa is suffering from is environmental degradation. Environmental degradation implies the diminishment of the beauty, quality, goodness, and viability of the earth and its ecosystems. Environmental degradation is precipitated by massive deforestation, desertification, drought, forced migration, war, food shortages, atmospheric and ocean pollution from mining and exploitation of natural resources, human insecurities, misappropriation of environmental funds, global warming and climate change, etc. Many of these that lead to environmental degradation are anthropogenic (caused by human activities and behaviours). Anthropogenic activities that degrade the environment are often informed by systems of thoughts that see no intrinsic value in nature or the earth. Nature is simply seen for its utilitarian and human satisfaction purpose. The earth is simply seen as existing for human needs and purpose. Nature exists to benefits human beings. Humans are at liberty to use the earth as they desire. Other organisms have no purpose except for the good and welfare of human beings. The interests of other non-human realities do not count. This paper argues that there are values in the natural world. Beyond the benefits that nature provides for humans and the entire ecosystem, nature has intrinsic value. While humans are to make use of nature to sustain themselves like other organisms in nature, humans have a responsibility to conserve the intrinsic values in nature. The degradation and deterioration of nature takes from it religious, spiritual, aesthetic, intrinsic, ecosystemic, and other values in nature. The paper will use a critical analytic and hermeneutic method to traces various theorists on the value of nature. It will examine the situation and reality of environmental degradation. It will equally present what can be done to conserve natural values. The paper finds and concludes that conserving natural values will help to mitigate environmental degradation

Toward moral pathways to motivate wildlife conservation

Endorsing the intrinsic value of nature fosters a moral obligation within humans to support wildlife conservation. Although recent evidence indicates that individuals contribute to conservation based on their moral commitments, empirical studies that evaluate various sources of moral motivation for conservation are rare. Drawing from theories in moral psychology, we developed a moral motivation for conservation model, where beliefs about whether nature is included in one's moral circle (i.e., moral expansiveness to nature), the extent to which morality is central to the self (i.e., moral identity), and empathy for wildlife each predicted support for conservation. We assessed the hypothesized model using data collected from students attending a large public university in the U.S. (n = 1278) and structural equation modeling. Participants who expanded their moral consideration to nature expressed greater support for conservation. Empathy for wildlife increased wildlife conservation support directly and by elevating moral consideration for nature. Also, the extent to which individuals internalized morality as part of their identities raised their support for conservation. Moreover, we classified the participants based on their identification with social groups supportive of hunting and those advocating animal rights. Although those identified with animal rights scored higher on our morality constructs, multigroup comparisons revealed that similar psychological mechanisms drive moral motivations for conservation among hunter and animal rights advocate groups. We discuss our findings in light of the emerging literature in moral psychology and conservation research and suggest pathways to foster conservation.

Social Demand for Ecosystem Services Provided by Peri-Urban Forests: the Case Study of the Tlemcen Forest (Algeria)

Recently, many studies have highlighted the role of urban and peri-urban forests in mitigating environmental pollution and maintaining human quality of life by integrating the concepts of ecosystem services into forest management strategy. To increase the social acceptance and to reduce the conflicts between users, citizens' preferences towards ecosystem services should be included in the decision-making process. In the present study, a structured questionnaire was administered to a sample of 180 citizens and 50 forest managers of the Tlemcen peri-urban forest (Algeria). The collected data was processed to show convergent and different preferences between forest managers and citizens towards the main categories of ecosystem services -- provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural services -- provided by the Tlemcen peri-urban forest. The results show that for both groups of respondents the three most important ecosystem services are: tourism and recreation (cultural services), soil erosion protection (regulating services), and biodiversity conservation (supporting services). Conversely, provisioning services (wood and non-wood forest products) are considered marginal by the two groups of respondents. These results are in line with international literature, which highlights in post-modern society an increase in importance of intrinsic values of nature at the expense of instrumental values.

Nature and intrinsic value

Questions about the intrinsic value of nature are not only an abstract philosophical speculation, they have a practical meaning, can inspire and motivate people to act. Environmental ethics attempts to overcome the anthropocentric and personalistic attitude of traditional ethics. It emphasizes the intrinsic value of nature, value, which is independent from humans. Within non-anthropocentric environmental ethics there are individualistic and holistic trends. Biocentric individualism raises problems with resolving conflicts of interests of different organisms, with the hierarchy of beings, while holistic ethics does not count with the well-being of individuals. Ethical holism should be contrasted with practical holism as a methodological postulate. The pragmatic current of ecological ethics acknowledges that the good of people and the intrinsic good of nature coincide. In a pluralistic, liberal society there should be a convergence of radical, biocentric and moderate, anthropocentric concepts of ecological ethics.

Ecosystem Services as a Metaphor in Environmental Law

The ecosystem services concept is a useful tool in environmental law, as it allows nature to be considered on the same plane of comparison as proposed development. However, the concept has received significant criticism, with many critics arguing that nature should be valued for its intrinsic worth. This article synthesises the ethical objections to the ecosystem services concept, distinguishing objections to the concept itself, and objections to the commodification of nature. It considers how the concept has been used in Australian environmental law to date, drawing on examples from the coastal wetland context. It concludes that most applications have not involved commodification, and have incorporated notions of intrinsic value. It concludes with some observations for future progress in this field, considering how the ecosystem services concept can be balanced with concerns for respecting the intrinsic value of nature.

Historical roots and the evolving science of forest management under a systemic perspective

In recent history, both a growing awareness of how scientific and societal uncertainty impacts management decisions and of the intrinsic value of nature have suggested new approaches to forest management, with a growing debate in forest science over the need for a paradigmatic shift from the classic conventional world view, based on determinism, predictability, and output-oriented management, towards a world view that has roots in complex adaptive systems theory and is consistent with a nature-based ethic. A conceptual framework under this context is provided by systemic silviculture. In this discussion, we analyze how this approach can be linked to three fundamental moments of the history of forestry and forest science: the Dauerwald theory, Gurnaud’s control method, and the origins of environmental ethics. Relationships with the recent history of forest management science and current research perspectives are also highlighted.

Perception-Based Study on the Value of Nature to People and Land Sparing for Nature in Brazil and Poland

Understanding perception about nature is paramount to understanding human behavior and decision making on the environment. We performed a survey-based study in Brazil and Poland to better understand the perception of land sparing for nature and the perceived value of nature. The countries were selected by intentional sampling and given their importance for local and global biodiversity conservation, and complex socio-ecological context of conservation versus agroforestry business. We performed an online questionnaire (N = 1030) in Brazil and face-to-face interviews in Poland (N = 322). We found that Brazilian respondents demonstrated more pro-environmental attitudes than Polish survey participants. Regarding the question: “How much nature that is left should be spared?”, nearly 51% of Brazilians answered “everything”, compared with 13% of Polish respondents. Just under half of the respondents from Poland (45.6%) indicated that half of the nature that is left should be spared. Brazilian respondents also perceived the intrinsic value of nature to a greater extent compared with Polish respondents; in total, 76% of Brazilians respondents entirely agreed that “Nature, its plants and animals have a value on their own, independent of their usefulness for us” versus 25% of Polish respondents. Our study contributes to a better understanding of the leverage points driving pro-environmental attitudes in both countries.

“You Have the River to Throw It Away”: Colombian Children's Reasoning About Transgressions to Nature in Contexts of Economic Performance and Communitarian Needs

This study explored the reasoning, expectations, and judgments concerning prototypical transgressions to nature and contextualized situations entailing conflict of interest between conservation of nature and economic performance or communitarian needs. The authors interviewed 71 children from three grade levels (mean ages first grade = 5.91, fifth grade = 10.17, ninth grade = 14.48 years) who belong to two schools in Bogotá, Colombia, that are located in a zone with polluted rivers and wetlands with high levels of environmental risk. Results showed that children construct moral reasoning regarding prototypical and contextualized environmental transgressions, and their judgments vary due to informational assumptions. Children are very concerned about environmental transgressions as they recognize their impact on human welfare and the intrinsic value of nature, especially when they believe that there is a correspondence between humans and nature. Whereas young children focus on welfare, older children are also able to consider justice and harmony in their moral evaluations. Surprisingly, children of all ages tend to expect people to damage the environment even when there is no conflict of interest, and this could be related to exposure to degraded environments.

Ethics and biodiversity offsetting.

Biodiversity offsetting is an increasingly applied tool aiming to compensate for environmental damage caused by exploitation projects. Critics, however, raise concerns over the purported effectiveness of offsetting and question the ethical underpinnings and implications of offsetting. These ethical dimensions have largely been overlooked in research, which may lead to offsetting systems that fail to respect the values intended to be safeguarded. To address these dimensions, 5 ethical objections in the scientific literature were identified: offsetting violates nature's intrinsic value; losses of nature cannot be compensated for by human interventions; too little is known to make adequate trades; offsetting impedes virtuous dispositions toward nature; and offsetting has negative justice implications. We examined these objections and arguments against them based on the ethical concepts of intrinsic and instrumental values, anthropocentrism, nonanthropocentrism, and deontological, consequentialist, and virtue‐ethical paradigms. Both nonanthropocentric and anthropocentric concerns were expressed in deontological, consequential, and virtue‐ethical framings. Objections mostly had a deontological or virtue‐ethical basis, whereas counterarguments were based on consequential reasoning, but common ground in practice is often conceivable. Based on our findings, we formulated 10 recommendations for policy makers and 5 questions for practitioners to consider. We propose, for example, that policy makers clarify aims, legislate on no‐go areas, and govern the use of multipliers. We suggest that practitioners consider, for instance, how to improve case‐specific knowledge and promote learning and stakeholder engagement. We hope these recommendations and questions will encourage further discussion of the ethics of biodiversity offsets and ultimately strengthen the respect for biodiversity and human‐welfare values at stake in offsetting projects.

Wellbeing, values, and planning in environmental management

Concepts of ‘human values’ and ‘wellbeing’ are central in environmental planning, especially during the group deliberations that underpin expert and participatory processes. However, there are long-standing, unresolved controversies concerning both concepts with many debates being highly theoretical. Therefore, we suggest it is more productive to develop definitions and models that are task-specific (mid-level theory). To this end, we use purpose-built value sets and models to explain the relationships among values and wellbeing, and to demarcate values, desires, and personality. The derived concepts are designed for group deliberations and could readily be combined with existing decision support tools, such as structured decision making. Outputs from the work also inform current debates within the environmental domain including, for example, those surrounding the intrinsic value of nature, and ideas concerning plural values versus a single overarching value (monism). We also define ‘wellbeing’ as an evaluative statement that supports assessments of trade-offs and co-benefits.

Ekologi Akal Budi: Memahami Alam sebagai Kesatuan menurut Gregory Bateson

While earth has been a living place for human beings, ecology crisis results from the speeding of human civilisation with its sudden jumps on science and technology. This crisis has caused damages in climate changes, global warming, and nature destructions. In spite of the changes in human behaviour, ecological crisis is also caused by epistemological crisis. Mechanistic paradigm leads humans to classify nature based on their own preferences. At the same time, positioning humans over nature brings humans’ hegemony. This article offers Gregory Bateson’s epistemological ideas to understand the unity between human beings and nature. Systemic paradigm can be used to sense nature as oneness of system that leads to the concept of sacrality of the earth. The concept of a sacred earth brings forth a systemic paradigm that shows nature as united with humans. Understanding sacrality as an intrinsic value of nature is a good epistemological start to maintain the ecological sustainability.

Are relational values different in practice to instrumental values?

Relational values have been proposed as a more inclusive alternative to instrumental and intrinsic values of nature. Although theoretically different, the empirical work to ascertain whether relational values are in practice different to instrumental values has been scarce. We surveyed 501 university students in Singapore to assess whether they could distinguish in practice between relational and instrumental values of several parks and to identify correlates of their value scores (their personality, the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) and their nature experiences). Using correlation and factor analysis, we find that relational and instrumental values are nearly indistinguishable in practice for our respondents. Correlates of high value scores are the importance of nature in fondest childhood memories and NEP statements related to concern with a future ecological crisis. Relational and instrumental values further shared multiple personality (extraversion, emotional stability) and NEP statement predictors. Our results call to urgently expand the empirical evidence base of relational values to inform their conceptualization.

Paving the Way for Rights of Nature in Germany: Lessons Learnt from Legal Reform in New Zealand and Ecuador

AbstractThis article examines the concept of granting legal rights to nature as a strategy for more effective environmental protection in the era of the Anthropocene. Following decades of debate over the possibility and consequences of natural objects becoming legal rights holders, a number of countries have recently implemented rights of nature laws in their national legal systems. Comparing two of these examples – a constitutional amendment in Ecuador and recently transposed legislation in New Zealand – will help in understanding the potential for and challenges in the implementation of this concept. On the basis of the findings of this comparison the article further analyzes the possibility of legal reform in a European country, using Germany by way of example. This analysis demonstrates that the realization of rights of nature in Europe is faced with many obstacles as it contests institutional and legal frameworks that are deeply rooted in Western individual rights doctrines and neoliberal economic models. Nevertheless, the holistic approach of expanding the number of rights-bearing subjects beyond an anthropocentric framework can allow for more serious consideration of environmental interests, something that aligns with the German narrative of recognizing nature's intrinsic value in law and the need for effective environmental protection measures.

Las áreas protegidas como herramientas para reforzar las conexiones entre ciencia, gestión y sociedad

Mugica de la Guerra, M., Montes, C., Mata Olmo, R., Castell Puig, C. 2020. Protected areas as tools to strengthen the connections between science, management and society. Ecosistemas 29(1):1904. https://doi.org/10.7818/ECOS.1904 Protected areas are the most tried and tested tools for biodiversity conservation, although biodiversity continues to decline worldwide. Their original concept has evolved to incorporate territorial, social and economic aspects into the original conservation objectives. Global change is accelerating the need for a more holistic and innovative approach to their planning and management. The transfer of scientific knowledge to decision making and the involvement of society are crucial. This article reviews the current needs to improve the multiple objectives of protected areas taking as a framework the Society and Protected Areas Programme: protected areas for human well-being promoted by EUROPARC-Spain and the Fernando Gonzalez Bernaldez Foundation. The eight strategic lines in which this Program is developed (Integration of protected areas in the territory. Ecosystem services for human well-being. Transfer of scientific knowledge to management. Strategic communication to increase social and political support. Diversification of governance models. Diversification of financing models. Greening of sectoral policies. Global responsibility and international cooperation) have as a link of union the territorial integration without which the functions of conservation of the intrinsic values of nature are very difficult to achieve. Proposals are made to improve the interrelationship between interdisciplinary scientific knowledge, the management of protected areas and social involvement.

Making intrinsic values work; integrating intrinsic values of the more-than-human world through the Life Framework of Values

This paper addresses central limitations of ecosystem services and nature’s contributions to people (NCP) by developing a novel approach to consideration of intrinsic values of nature. Intrinsic values are seen as bundled with values of ecosystem services and NCP within the Life Framework, an innovative, comprehensive and easy to communicate framework of values. Building on work by John O’Neill, values are conceived of as related to living with, from, in and as the world. These frames are related to but distinct from more formal ethical justifications of intrinsic, instrumental and relational values, which straddle the four Life Frames. Focusing on intrinsic values, we conceive these as ends without reference to humans as valuers, but which nonetheless can be articulated by people. We draw on more-than-human participatory research and post-normal science to promote the articulation and deliberation of perspectives and interests of the more-than-human world by an extended peer community. This clearly differentiates our approach from both rights-based intrinsic value and utilitarian existence value approaches, although it is inclusive of them. The approach is demonstrated by an elaborate integrated marine ecosystem valuation, where we investigate associations between intrinsic and relational values and the four Life frames. The Life Framework, operationalised through the post-normal, more-than-human participatory approach, operationalises articulated intrinsic values in a way that puts them on an equal footing with values of ecosystem services and NCP, providing an opportunity to bridge and reconcile these different types of value through deliberation. This enhances the recognition and procedural justice of valuation, while at the same time retaining the practical advantages that the ecosystem services framework brings.

Applying ecosystem services for pre-market environmental risk assessments of regulated stressors.

Ecosystem services (ES) are the benefits that people obtain from ecosystems. Investigating the environment through an ES framework has gained wide acceptance in the international scientific community and is applied by policymakers to protect biodiversity and safeguard the sustainability of ecosystems. This approach can enhance the ecological and societal relevance of pre‐market/prospective environmental risk assessments (ERAs) of regulated stressors by: (1) informing the derivation of operational protection goals; (2) enabling the integration of environmental and human health risk assessments; (3) facilitating horizontal integration of policies and regulations; (4) leading to more comprehensive and consistent environmental protection; (5) articulating the utility of, and trade‐offs involved in, environmental decisions; and (6) enhancing the transparency of risk assessment results and the decisions based upon them. Realisation of these advantages will require challenges that impede acceptance of an ES approach to be overcome. Particularly, there is concern that, if biodiversity only matters to the extent that it benefits humans, the intrinsic value of nature is ignored. Moreover, our understanding of linkages among ecological components and the processes that ultimately deliver ES is incomplete, valuing ES is complex, and there is no standard ES lexicon and limited familiarity with the approach. To help overcome these challenges, we encourage: (1) further research to establish biodiversity–ES relationships; (2) the development of approaches that (i) quantitatively translate responses to chemical stressors by organisms and groups of organisms to ES delivery across different spatial and temporal scales, (ii) measure cultural ES and ease their integration into ES valuations, and (iii) appropriately value changes in ES delivery so that trade‐offs among different management options can be assessed; (3) the establishment of a standard ES lexicon; and (4) building capacity in ES science and how to apply ES to ERAs. These development needs should not prevent movement towards implementation of an ES approach in ERAs, as the advantages we perceive of using this approach render it more than worthwhile to tackle those challenges. Society and the environment stand to benefit from this shift in how we conduct the ERA of regulated stressors.

Romanticism in urban landscapes: parks, tourism, and the rebirth of Chattanooga, Tennessee

Modern cities are increasingly emphasizing the positive influence of nature and greenspace on quality of life for urban residents and tourists. However, the impetus for these innovations and factors impacting their success have not been adequately studied. Is the commodification of environmental amenities (i.e. ecosystem services) a sufficient recipe for sustainable development, or does true nature-based ‘revitalization’ require appeals to deeper sentiments, attachments, and value systems rooted in emotional and esthetic experience (e.g. biophilic and romanticist principles)? This research uses a case study approach to explore the contributions of parks and other green infrastructure to the rebirth of the city of Chattanooga, once the ‘dirtiest city in America.’ Thirty key informants were interviewed to discuss the transformation of the industrial city. Response data were corroborated with secondary sources, photography, and informal consultations. Findings suggest that recognition of both instrumental and intrinsic values of nature and investment in the city’s environmental amenities played a pivotal role in Chattanooga’s rebirth as a popular outdoor mecca and tourist destination. While an emphasis on environmental assets helped the city craft a ‘green vision’ for the future, it was a strong connection to place and collective identity based on these assets that helped sustain that vision and make it a reality. Applications of similar modern romanticist thinking may help catalyze sustainable development initiatives that foster transformations in other aging industrial cities.

Embracing diverse worldviews to share planet Earth.

Leading societies toward a more sustainable, equitably shared, and environmentally just future requires elevating and strengthening conversations on the nonmaterial and perhaps unquantifiable values of nonhuman nature to humanity. Debates among conservationists relating to the appropriateness of valuing ecosystems in terms of their human utility have eclipsed the more important and impactful task of expressing conservation concerns in terms that are meaningful to diverse stakeholders. We considered the wide global diversity of perspectives on the biosocial complex-the relationships and interactions between all living species on Earth-and argue that humanity's best chance for effective conservation is to take a pluralistic approach that engages seriously with the worldviews of all stakeholders. Many worldviews-particularly those in indigenous cultures-place a higher value on the spiritual and nonmaterial aspects than what is often represented by the discourse surrounding Western conservation policy. Alternative framings of the biosocial complex that recognize nature's intrinsic value can be powerful motivators for social change and for local-scale conservation efforts. At a national and international level, changing ethical framings of human relationships with nature have started influencing conceptions of human rights relating to the environment and of the rights of nature itself. This change has led to an increased role of the judiciary in promoting environmental sustainability and promoting justice for groups who are most often affected by environmental harms. We hope our essay will motivate the scientific community to change its own perception of what a sound and sustainable relationship between humanity and other species should be and will help citizens become active environmental subjects, connected to the ecosystems around them.

Rights of Nature: Why it Might Not Save the Entire World

The advent of Rights of Nature (RoN) marks a new paradigm shift in the philosophical approach to nature. As such, the concept has generated enthusiasm amongst environmentalists and legal scholars. This is not surprising since granting legal personhood to nature seems to present itself as a relative easy fix for the multitude of deficiencies of “modern” environmental law. However, when critically assessed, many of the underlying assumptions justifying a shift towards rights-based approaches to nature are open to challenge. In this paper, which takes a more critical stance on the topic of RoN, it is submitted that also the much-criticized modern environmental law is moving towards a recognition of the intrinsic value of nature, puts breaks on property rights, offers remediation actions for pure ecological damage and also increasingly grants environmental ngos wide access to courts. Moreover, on a second level, it is argued that RoN are not a legal revolution and that many of the problems Rights of Nature tries to cure – such as a lack of enforcement – will simply re-emerge if not adequately assessed within this novel paradigm.