Why conserve biodiversity? A multi-national exploration of stakeholders’ views on the arguments for biodiversity conservation

Abstract

Given the concern about biodiversity loss, there are a number of arguments used for biodiversity conservation ranging from those emphasising the intrinsic value of biodiversity to those on the direct use value of ecosystems. Yet arguing the case for biodiversity conservation effectively requires an understanding of why people value biodiversity. We used Q methodology to explore and understand how different conservation practitioners (social and natural science researchers, environmental non-Governmental organisations and decision-makers) in nine European countries argue for conservation. We found that there was a plurality of views about biodiversity and its conservation. A moral argument and some arguments around the intrinsic and ecological value of biodiversity were held by all stakeholder groups. They also shared the view that species valuation does not justify the destruction of nature. However, there were also some differences within and between the groups, which primarily reflected the espousal of either ecocentric or anthropocentric viewpoints. Our findings suggest that moral arguments and those around biodiversity’s intrinsic and ecological value could potentially serve as a starting point for building consensus among conservation practitioners.

Appendix: the 42 Q statements

• 1. We do not know how ecosystems will be affected by the loss of species, therefore we better preserve them.

• 2. Protecting ecosystem service providers is important because they are a source of economic value.

• 3. The ecosystem service approach has potential to improve species conservation in Europe.

• 4. Biodiversity conservation is not a moral matter.

• 5. Some species are important symbols of human values, such as freedom.

• 6. Species are priceless.

• 7. The reason biodiversity matters is because it confers on us an imprecise, immeasurable well-being that is located in the spirit rather than in the wallet.

• 8. The extinction of a species is like the destruction of a great work of art.

• 9. It is not clear why all species that environmentalists campaign to conserve ought to be saved.

• 10. Protecting biodiversity and ecosystem services is particularly important for poverty alleviation in developing countries.

• 11. Conserving genetic diversity is important to feed future human populations.

• 12. Countries can benefit from their conservation efforts through tourism.

• 13. Nature provides us with many valuable experiences. We hunt, fish, hike, mountain climb, and engage in numerous activities in which we interact with nature.

• 14. Losing its biological richness and diversity, the world loses its magic.

• 15. It is important to conserve the genetic reservoir in a region, in case we need to breed disease-resistant plants or produce food adapted to local conditions.

• 16. We want to experience areas where humans are merely visitors and not inhabitants.

• 17. Most species are superfluous.

• 18. We value some species for their beauty, but this is only relevant for a very small number of species. Therefore, beauty is not a particularly important basis for conservation.

• 19. We do not need to recognize other beings as our moral equals to realize that we should not kill that which is not a threat.

• 20. All species have a right to exist, regardless of their ability to benefit humans.

• 21. Nature is a laboratory for the pursuit of science through which society gains knowledge, and understanding of the world.

• 22. The diversity of life is something like the rivets on an airplane, with each species playing a small but significant role in the working of the whole. The loss of each rivet weakens the plane by a small but noticeable amount—until it loses airworthiness and crashes.

• 23. Nature provides a place to take calculated risks, to learn the luck of the weather, to lose and find one’s way, to reflect on success and failure.

• 24. Even if only a few species are needed for our world to be productive we have to conserve more species as a back-up. Otherwise a pest or climate change could wipe out the few species we have saved, and we would have nothing in reserve.

• 25. Pristine nature is valuable in itself.

• 26. Ecosystems have co-evolved with humans creating landscapes of important cultural value.

• 27. Any effort to conserve biodiversity must be limited by considerations of other values such as freedom, equality, health, and justice.

• 28. Destroying nature is like burning unread books.

• 29. Valuing species in economic terms implies a justification for the destruction of the biosphere.

• 30. Nature produces works of grace which please the eye.

• 31. Species survival ultimately depends on large numbers of other species.

• 32. Nature provides the profoundest historical museum of all.

• 33. Species extinction reduces possibilities for future generations.

• 34. The knowledge of the mere existence of species is valuable, even if it is certain that I will never experience them in situ.

• 35. Genetic diversity is good because each particular species represents the success of generations of evolutionary trial and error.

• 36. Biodiversity is an unqualified good, i.e. biodiversity is good no matter what.

• 37. Humans are morally permitted to extinguish any species harmful to human survival.

• 38. We can’t aim to conserve biodiversity in all its aspects. Instead, we have to make choices about increasing, maintaining, or even diminishing biodiversity in particular circumstances.

• 39. As nature is always changing there is no point in conserving a fixed ecosystem state.

• 40. Species extinctions are not necessarily bad.

• 41. Nature and its diversity make our lives meaningful.

• 42. The earth’s biodiversity should be conserved because genetic diversity may be valuable in the development of new drugs against disease.