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Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Spatial Multiobjective Optimization of Agricultural Conservation Practices using a SWAT Model and an Evolutionary Algorithm
Published on: December 9, 2012
Buying into conservation: intrinsic versus instrumental value
James Justus1, Mark Colyvan, Helen Regan
1Philosophy Department, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA. jjustus@fsu.edu
Abstract:
Many conservation biologists believe the best ethical basis for conserving natural entities is their claimed intrinsic value, not their instrumental value for humans. But there is significant confusion about what intrinsic value is and how it could govern conservation decision making. After examining what intrinsic value is supposed to be, we argue that it cannot guide the decision making conservation requires. An adequate ethical basis for conservation must do this, and instrumental value does it best.
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