Monday, September 20, 2010

First do no harm


In this article, the author, Marc Bekoff, a professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado, argues that in putting conservation into practice, humans often cause great suffering to animals and thus the need for a new ethical perspective. A Compassionate Conservation meeting held recently in the UK attempted to bring together two disciplines that are often perceived as mutually exclusive namely animal welfare and conservation.Questions asked were should we kill for the sake of conservation, can conservation biologists do good science saving species and ecosystems while also being compassionate and what role should animal sentience play in such decisions. The article is available in the latest issue of New Scientist in the HOORC Library.

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