Values and Ethics in Conservation

Ethics and values have been foundational to conservation biology as a mission-driven discipline dedicated to a moral imperative –preserving global biodiversity. Value-based policies limit conservation success more than biological knowledge, so conservation biologists must establish the intrinsic value of nature in conservation efforts. Many conservationists have employed moral extensionism – the application of mortal standing to non-human entities – to establish nature’s value, expressed through positions based on Biophilia, Deep Ecology, the Land Ethic, Animal Rights, and others. In contrast, religious traditions establish intrinsic value through divine revelation, providing powerful arguments for biodiversity conservation expressed in a proliferation of faith-based organizations (FBOs) in conservation. Using these and other sources, conservationists must mature in their expression of ethical reasons for saving biodiversity to make conservation goals culturally persuasive