Compassionate conservation

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The Eastern gray squirrel is considered an invasive species in some countries. Advocates for compassionate conservation argue that killing individual animals like these is unnecessary. Eastern Grey Squirrel.jpg
The Eastern gray squirrel is considered an invasive species in some countries. Advocates for compassionate conservation argue that killing individual animals like these is unnecessary.

Compassionate conservation is a discipline combining the fields of conservation and animal welfare. Historically, these two fields have been considered separate [1] and sometimes contradictory to each other. [2] The foundational principles of compassionate conservation are: "Do No Harm; Individuals Matter; Inclusivity; Peaceful Coexistence". [3]

Contents

Compassionate conservationists argue that the conservation movement uses the preservation of species, populations and ecosystems as a measure of success, without explicit concern given to the welfare and intrinsic value of individual animals. [4] They argue instead, that compassion for all sentient beings should be what guides conservation actions [5] and claim that the killing of animals in the name of conservation goals is unnecessary, as these same objectives can be achieved without killing. [6]

Compassionate conservation has been a subject of criticism by some conservationists, who consider the discipline to be harmful to the goals of conservation. [7] [8]

History

The international wildlife charity Born Free Foundation, which advocates for the well-being of individual wild animals, used the phrase "compassionate conservation" as the name for a Oxford-based symposium it hosted in 2010. [9] The Centre for Compassionate Conservation was created, in 2013, at the University of Technology, Sydney. [10] Ignoring Nature No More: The Case for Compassionate Conservation, a collection of essays edited by compassionate conservation advocate Marc Bekoff, was published in the same year. [11]

In the years since, further conferences have been held on the topic and advocates have published multiple articles in conservation journals. [9]

Criticism

Compassionate conservation has been called "seriously flawed" by certain conservationists, who argue that its implementation is impractical and could lead to negative outcomes for wildlife, ecosystems, humans [7] and native biodiversity. [8] Others argue that the "do no harm" approach goes "too far" and that put into practice, it would not necessarily lead to positive outcomes for the welfare of individual animals. [12] Andrea S. Griffin et al. argue that compassionate conservation's focus on empathy "is subject to significant biases and that inflexible adherence to moral rules can result in a 'do nothing' approach". [8]

Several conservation management approaches supported by compassionate conservation as an alternative to lethal control have been scrutinised experimentally or observationally. For example, Trap–neuter–return management of feral cat populations is proposed as an alternative to lethal methods such as shooting or baiting. However, research has not found TNR to be an effective means of controlling feral cat populations [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] .

Similarly, the use of Wildlife contraceptives has been proposed as a non-lethal method for managing overpopulation in native wildlife species. However, attempts to apply this approach - such as the control of overabundant Koala populations on Kangaroo Island in South Australia - have not been successful due to logistical and cost-effectiveness barriers . Alternative compassionate approaches such as fertility control were also unsuccessful. As with Trap–neuter–return programs, nonlethal reproductive management of a subset of a population often results in compensatory increases in reproductive success among untreated individuals [18] . Translocation to lower-abundance habitats was not a success because the translocated individuals often died, negating any "compassionate" benefits of the approach [19] .

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nature conservation</span> Movement to protect the biosphere

Nature conservation is the moral philosophy and conservation movement focused on protecting species from extinction, maintaining and restoring habitats, enhancing ecosystem services, and protecting biological diversity. A range of values underlie conservation, which can be guided by biocentrism, anthropocentrism, ecocentrism, and sentientism, environmental ideologies that inform ecocultural practices and identities. There has recently been a movement towards evidence-based conservation which calls for greater use of scientific evidence to improve the effectiveness of conservation efforts. As of 2018 15% of land and 7.3% of the oceans were protected. Many environmentalists set a target of protecting 30% of land and marine territory by 2030. In 2021, 16.64% of land and 7.9% of the oceans were protected. The 2022 IPCC report on climate impacts and adaptation, underlines the need to conserve 30% to 50% of the Earth's land, freshwater and ocean areas – echoing the 30% goal of the U.N.'s Convention on Biodiversity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Animal welfare</span> Well-being of non-human animals

Animal welfare is the well-being of non-human animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures such as longevity, disease, immunosuppression, behavior, physiology, and reproduction, although there is debate about which of these best indicate animal welfare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conservation biology</span> Study of threats to biological diversity

Conservation biology is the study of the conservation of nature and of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction and the erosion of biotic interactions. It is an interdisciplinary subject drawing on natural and social sciences, and the practice of natural resource management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trap–neuter–return</span> Strategy for controlling feral animal populations

Trap–neuter–return (TNR), also known as trap–neuter–release, is a controversial method that attempts to manage populations of feral cats. The process involves live-trapping the cats, having them neutered, ear-tipped for identification, and, if possible, vaccinated, then releasing them back into the outdoors. If the location is deemed unsafe or otherwise inappropriate, the cats may be relocated to other appropriate areas. Ideally, friendly adults and kittens young enough to be easily socialized are retained and placed for adoption. Feral cats cannot be socialized, shun most human interaction and do not fare well in confinement, so they are not retained. Cats suffering from severe medical problems such as terminal, contagious, or untreatable illnesses or injuries are often euthanized.

Population viability analysis (PVA) is a species-specific method of risk assessment frequently used in conservation biology. It is traditionally defined as the process that determines the probability that a population will go extinct within a given number of years. More recently, PVA has been described as a marriage of ecology and statistics that brings together species characteristics and environmental variability to forecast population health and extinction risk. Each PVA is individually developed for a target population or species, and consequently, each PVA is unique. The larger goal in mind when conducting a PVA is to ensure that the population of a species is self-sustaining over the long term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feral cat</span> Unowned or untamed domestic cat in the outdoors

A feral cat or a stray cat is an unowned domestic cat that lives outdoors and avoids human contact; it does not allow itself to be handled or touched, and usually remains hidden from humans. Feral cats may breed over dozens of generations and become an aggressive local apex predator in urban, savannah and bushland environments. Some feral cats may become more comfortable with people who regularly feed them, but even with long-term attempts at socialization, they usually remain aloof and are most active after dusk. Of the 700 million cats in the world, an estimated 480 million are feral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trophy hunting</span> Hunting of wild animals for trophies

Trophy hunting is a form of hunting for sport in which parts of the hunted wild animals are kept and displayed as trophies. The animal being targeted, known as the "game", is typically a mature male specimen from a popular species of collectable interests, usually of large sizes, holding impressive horns, antlers, furs, or manes. Most trophies consist of only select parts of the animal, which are prepared for display by a taxidermist. The parts most commonly kept vary by species but often include the head, hide, tusks, horns, or antlers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife trade</span> Worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of wildlife

Wildlife trade refers to the products that are derived from non-domesticated animals or plants usually extracted from their natural environment or raised under controlled conditions. It can involve the trade of living or dead individuals, tissues such as skins, bones or meat, or other products. Legal wildlife trade is regulated by the United Nations' Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which currently has 184 member countries called Parties. Illegal wildlife trade is widespread and constitutes one of the major illegal economic activities, comparable to the traffic of drugs and weapons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Umbrella species</span> Species protected to aid further species

Umbrella species are species selected for making conservation-related decisions, typically because protecting these species indirectly protects the many other species that make up the ecological community of its habitat. Species conservation can be subjective because it is hard to determine the status of many species. The umbrella species is often either a flagship species whose conservation benefits other species or a keystone species which may be targeted for conservation due to its impact on an ecosystem. Umbrella species can be used to help select the locations of potential reserves, find the minimum size of these conservation areas or reserves, and to determine the composition, structure, and processes of ecosystems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife corridor</span> Connecting wild territories for animals

A wildlife corridor, habitat corridor, or green corridor is an area of habitat connecting wildlife populations separated by human activities or structures. It allows for the movement of individuals between populations, that may help prevent negative effects of inbreeding and reduced genetic diversity that can occur within isolated populations. Corridors also help facilitate the re-establishment of populations that have been reduced or eliminated due to random events and may moderate some of the worst effects of habitat fragmentation, through urbanization that splits up habitat areas, causing animals to lose both their natural habitat and the ability to move between regions to access resources. Habitat fragmentation due to human development is an ever-increasing threat to biodiversity, and habitat corridors serve to reduce its harmful effects.

Alley Cat Rescue is an international nonprofit organization, headquartered in Mount Rainier, Maryland, that works to protect cats using trap–neuter–return for community cats; rescue, and neuter before adoption; promoting compassionate, non-lethal population control; and by providing national and international resources for cat caretakers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Browsing (herbivory)</span> Type of herbivory

Browsing is a type of herbivory in which a herbivore feeds on leaves, soft shoots, or fruits of high-growing, generally woody plants such as shrubs. This is contrasted with grazing, usually associated with animals feeding on grass or other lower vegetations. Alternatively, grazers are animals eating mainly grass, and browsers are animals eating mainly non-grasses, which include both woody and herbaceous dicots. In either case, an example of this dichotomy are goats and sheep.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marc Bekoff</span> American biologist (born 1945)

Marc Bekoff is an American biologist, ethologist, behavioral ecologist and writer. He is Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado Boulder and cofounder of the Jane Goodall Institute of Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and cofounder of the Jane Goodall Roots and Shoots program.

Population control is the practice of artificially maintaining the size of any population. It simply refers to the act of limiting the size of an animal population so that it remains manageable, as opposed to the act of protecting a species from excessive rates of extinction, which is referred to as conservation biology.

Cats are a popular pet in New Zealand. Cat ownership is occasionally raised as a controversial conservation issue due to the predation of endangered species, such as birds and lizards, by feral cats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conservation behavior</span>

Conservation behavior is the interdisciplinary field about how animal behavior can assist in the conservation of biodiversity. It encompasses proximate and ultimate causes of behavior and incorporates disciplines including genetics, physiology, behavioral ecology, and evolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cat predation on wildlife</span> Interspecies animal behavior

Cat predation on wildlife is the result of the natural instincts and behavior of both feral and owned house cats to hunt small prey, including wildlife. Some people view this as a desirable phenomenon, such as in the case of barn cats and other cats kept for the intended purpose of pest control in rural settings; but scientific evidence does not support the popular use of cats to control urban rat populations, and ecologists oppose their use for this purpose because of the disproportionate harm they do to native wildlife. As an invasive species and predator, they do considerable ecological damage.

In biology, overabundant species refers to an excessive number of individuals and occurs when the normal population density has been exceeded. Increase in animal populations is influenced by a variety of factors, some of which include habitat destruction or augmentation by human activity, the introduction of invasive species and the reintroduction of threatened species to protected reserves.

Wildlife endocrinology is a branch of endocrinology which deals with the study of the endocrine system in vertebrates as well as invertebrates. It deals with hormone analysis which helps understand the basic physiological functions such as metabolic activity, reproduction, health and well-being of the organism. Hormones can be measured via multiple biological matrices such as blood, urine, faeces, hair and saliva, the choice of which depends upon the type of information required, ease of sample collection, assays available to analyse the sample and species difference in hormone metabolism and excretion. Non-invasive samples are preferred for wild ranging animals whereas, both invasive as well as non-invasive samples are used to study captive animals.

Conservation welfare is a proposed discipline which would focus on establishing the commonalities between conservation and animal welfare and the formation of a foundation upon which the two disciplines can collaborate to further their respective objectives. It would be based on the principles of Peter Singer's utilitarianism and similarly to compassionate conservation, its focus would diverge from environmental ethics in that it concentrates on the welfare of individual animals, rather than species, ecosystems or populations. It has been argued that conservation welfare would be distinct from compassionate conservation because the two disciplines have differing conceptions of the harms experienced by wild animals and that while conservation welfare would seek to engage with conservation scientists and integrate animal welfare into existing conservation practices, compassionate conservation may lack the capacity to "guide decision-making in complex or novel situations."

References

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  2. Gray, Jenny (2018-08-31). "Challenges of Compassionate Conservation". Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science. 21 (sup1): 34–42. doi: 10.1080/10888705.2018.1513840 . ISSN   1088-8705. PMID   30325231.
  3. Wallach, Arian D.; Bekoff, Marc; Batavia, Chelsea; Nelson, Michael Paul; Ramp, Daniel (2018). "Summoning compassion to address the challenges of conservation". Conservation Biology. 32 (6): 1255–1265. doi: 10.1111/cobi.13126 . ISSN   1523-1739. PMID   29700860. S2CID   23206524.
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  17. Duka, Toni; Masters, Pip (December 2005). "Confronting a tough issue: Fertility control and translocation for over-abundant Koalas on Kangaroo Island, South Australia". Ecological Management and Restoration. 2005.
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