Opinion: Why Protect Nature? Rethinking Values and the Environment

Authors

Kai M. A. Chan, University of British Columbia
Patricia Balvanera, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico
Karina Benessaiah, Arizona State University
Mollie Chapman, University of British Columbia
Sandra Díaz, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba
Erik Gómez-Baggethun, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research
Rachelle Gould, University of Vermont
Neil Hannahs, Kamehameha Schools
Kurt Jax, UFZ Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research
Sarah Klain, Utah State UniversityFollow
Gary W. Luck, Charles Sturt University
Berta Martin-Lopez, Leuphana University
Barbara Muraca, Oregon State University
Bryan Norton, Georgia Institute of Technology
Konrad Ott, Kiel University
et al.

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

Publisher

PNAS

Publication Date

2-9-2016

Volume

113

Issue

6

First Page

1462

Last Page

1465

Abstract

A cornerstone of environmental policy is the debate over protecting nature for humans’ sake (instrumental values) or for nature’s (intrinsic values) (1). We propose that focusing only on instrumental or intrinsic values may fail to resonate with views on personal and collective well-being, or “what is right,” with regard to nature and the environment. Without complementary attention to other ways that value is expressed and realized by people, such a focus may inadvertently promote worldviews at odds with fair and desirable futures. It is time to engage seriously with a third class of values, one with diverse roots and current expressions: relational values. By doing so, we reframe the discussion about environmental protection, and open the door to new, potentially more productive policy approaches.

Recommended Citation

Chan, K. M. A., Balvanera, P., Benessaiah, K., Chapman, M., Diaz, S., Gómez-Baggethun, E., Klain, S.C. et al. (2016). Opinion: Why protect nature? Rethinking values and the environment. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(6), 1462–1465. http://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1525002113