Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 21, 2026
07:17
Deploying Community Scientists to Conduct Nondestructive Genetic Sampling of Rare Butterfly Populations
Published on: October 28, 2022
2.0K
On nonepistemic values in conservation biology.
Bert Baumgaertner1, Wieteke Holthuijzen2
1Department of Philosophy, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Drive, Moscow, ID, 83843-3173, U.S.A.
Summary
Conservation biology integrates objective measurements with subjective values, challenging the perceived science-practice divide. Embracing this entanglement of measures and values, including biodiversity concepts, drives theoretical and practical progress.
Area of Science:
- Conservation biology
- Ecology
- Biodiversity science
Background:
- Conservation biology is an interdisciplinary field integrating ecology with mission-oriented goals.
- Critiques question conservation biology's scientific credibility due to a perceived division between objective (measure-based) and subjective (value-laden) practices.
- This division is termed the measure-value dichotomy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the separation of measures and values in foundational conservation biology literature.
- To address the critique of scientific credibility stemming from the measure-value dichotomy.
- To argue that the entanglement of measures and values is not a weakness but a strength.
Main Methods:
- Review and evaluation of landmark articles in conservation biology and biodiversity.
- Analysis of how measures (methods, analyses) and values (non-epistemic values) are treated.
- Examination of the relationship between factual and evaluative aspects of core concepts like biodiversity.
Main Results:
- The measure-value dichotomy in conservation biology is identified as a false dichotomy.
- Foundational articles reveal attempts to separate measures and values, but these are intrinsically linked.
- Central concepts like biodiversity inherently contain both factual and evaluative components.
Conclusions:
- Conservation biology's progress is enhanced by its practitioners engaging in both theory and practice.
- The entanglement of measures and values is a unique strength, not a limitation.
- Values should be explicitly included and analyzed within the methods, results, and conclusions of conservation biology research to advance the discipline.
Related Concept Videos
01:57What is Conservation Biology?
24.8K
Conservation biology is a scientific field that focuses on the preservation of biodiversity in order to protect ecosystems while meeting the needs of the human population. Humans require properly functioning ecosystems to maintain our supply of natural resources, including food, medicines, and building materials.
24.8K
01:24Biodiversity and Human Values
17.6K
Human civilization relies on biodiversity in many ways. Sudden changes in species biodiversity result in environmental changes that can modify weather patterns and therefore human civilizations.
17.6K
02:04Conservation of Small Populations
17.7K
Small population sizes put a species at extreme risk of extinction due to a lack of variation, and a consequent decrease in adaptability. This weakens the chances of survival under pressures such as climate change, competition from other species, or new diseases. Large populations are more likely to survive pressures such as these, as such populations are more likely to harbor individuals that have genetic variants that are adaptive under new stresses. Small populations are much less...
17.7K
02:07Conservation of Declining Populations
13.6K
Conservation of declining population focuses on ways of detecting, diagnosing, and halting a population decline. The approach uses methods to prevent populations from going extinct.
13.6K
02:31Habitat Fragmentation
21.8K
Habitat fragmentation describes the division of a more extensive, continuous habitat into smaller, discontinuous areas. Human activities such as land conversion, as well as slower geological processes leading to changes in the physical environment, are the two leading causes of habitat fragmentation. The fragmentation process typically follows the same steps: perforation, dissection, fragmentation, shrinkage, and attrition.
21.8K
02:30Naturalistic Observations
17.9K
If you want to understand how behavior occurs, one of the best ways to gain information is to simply observe the behavior in its natural context. However, people might change their behavior in unexpected ways if they know they are being observed. How do researchers obtain accurate information when people tend to hide their natural behavior? As an example, imagine that your professor asks everyone in your class to raise their hand if they always wash their hands after using the restroom. Chances...
17.9K