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Defending Biodiversity

Environmental Science and Ethics

Gary Varner author Jonathan A Newman author Stefan Linquist author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Cambridge University Press

Published:5th Oct '17

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Defending Biodiversity cover

This interdisciplinary and accessible book will help environmentalists to make stronger arguments in favor of conserving biodiversity.

Environmentalists are called upon to defend their conservation efforts, yet most lack training in the ethical dimensions of conservation biology or are unused to integrating scientific evidence into philosophical reasoning. This book equips environmentalists with the knowledge to strengthen arguments in favor of conserving biodiversity.Imagine that you are an environmentalist who passionately believes that it is wrong to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. How do you convince someone that a decision to drill is wrong? Debates about the environment and how humans ought to treat it have gone on for decades, yet arguments in favor of preserving biodiversity often lack empirical substance or are philosophically naïve, making them far less effective than they could be. This book critically examines arguments that are commonly offered in support of biodiversity conservation. The authors adopt a skeptical viewpoint to thoroughly test the strength of each argument and, by demonstrating how scientific evidence can be integrated with philosophical reasoning, they help environmentalists to better engage with public debate and judiciously inform public policy. This interdisciplinary and accessible book is essential reading for anyone who engages in discussions about the value of biodiversity conservation.

'… the book provides an incredibly valuable discussion; one that ought to be had between wildlife managers, conservationists, and biologists the world over. Anyone working within the environmental field is likely to find this volume engaging and useful for carefully examining the strength of their own beliefs and go-to arguments for biodiversity conservation.' Emily A. Gregg, The Quarterly Review of Biology
'Defending Biodiversity is an essential read for anyone who works in conservation and, in particular, anyone who is teaching a conservation-related course. You may find that, like me, you have your fundamental beliefs completely shaken.' Rebecca Nesbit, The Biologist

ISBN: 9780521768863

Dimensions: 235mm x 158mm x 26mm

Weight: 850g

454 pages