Abstract
This paper examines philosophical debates about concepts of biodiversity, making the case for conceptual pluralism. Taking a pragmatist perspective, I argue that normative concepts of biodiversity and eco-centric concepts of biodiversity can serve different purposes. The former would help stress the values of local communities, which have often been neglected by both early scientific approaches to conservation, and by policy makers prioritizing the political or economic interests of specific groups. The latter would help build local research programs independent of pressures from economic or political actors. I employ a case study on environmental research on walnut forests in Kyrgyzstan in support of my argument. Against tendencies to frame different understandings of biodiversity in terms of geographical areas, I propose an interpretation drawing on the philosophy of ecology. Adherence to environmental pragmatism enables a sufficiently complex picture of developing environmental research in the area, capturing issues about scientific framings and local understandings.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank the anonymous referees of this journal, as well as one previous referee from History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences for feedback that has helped improve the paper. I am also grateful to James Plumtree for exchanging ideas and literature suggestions on the case study.
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Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Articles
- Environmental Ethics–Sats Special Issue
- The Appeal of Environmental Master Metrics
- Moomins and Complicity with Matter: Tove Jansson’s Moominpappa at Sea as an Intervention in Vibrant Matter: A Political Ecology of Things by Jane Bennett
- Weird Environmental Ethics: The Virtue of Wonder and the Rise of Eco-Anxiety
- Who Should Have Children? (Us?) When Should We Have Children? (Now?)
- Justificatory Moral Pluralism in Climate Change
- Concepts of Biodiversity, Pluralism, and Pragmatism: The Case of Walnut Forest Conservation in Central Asia
- Towards Anthropocentric Deep Ecology: Utilizing Esotericism within Ecophilosophy
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Articles
- Environmental Ethics–Sats Special Issue
- The Appeal of Environmental Master Metrics
- Moomins and Complicity with Matter: Tove Jansson’s Moominpappa at Sea as an Intervention in Vibrant Matter: A Political Ecology of Things by Jane Bennett
- Weird Environmental Ethics: The Virtue of Wonder and the Rise of Eco-Anxiety
- Who Should Have Children? (Us?) When Should We Have Children? (Now?)
- Justificatory Moral Pluralism in Climate Change
- Concepts of Biodiversity, Pluralism, and Pragmatism: The Case of Walnut Forest Conservation in Central Asia
- Towards Anthropocentric Deep Ecology: Utilizing Esotericism within Ecophilosophy