Classifying values for planning the conservation and use of natural resources

K.J. Wallace, M.K. Kim, Abbie Rogers () and M. Jago

No 276174, Working Papers from University of Western Australia, School of Agricultural and Resource Economics

Abstract: Understanding values and their interaction is fundamental to the wise conservation and use of natural resources. However, a confusing mixture of value classifications is applied in natural resource management. This is unhelpful where the aim is to implement values-based planning through group deliberative processes. At the same time, classifications described in the literature are rarely supported by explicit criteria and assumptions. Thus, their conceptual basis may be obscure, and they are therefore difficult to interpret and apply in practice. To address these issues, we develop two classifications of values grounded on clearly stated assumptions and criteria that facilitate interpretation, application, and adaptation. These classifications involve two distinct, but related, concepts of values: ‘end state values’ such as recreational satisfaction, spiritual-philosophical contentment, and adequate resources of food and water; and ‘principles’, which are the preferred ethical properties of human behaviour such as ‘honesty’, ‘fairness’, and ‘prudence’. The proposed classifications are compared with a representative sample of alternative approaches including those based on ‘needs’, ‘capabilities’, and various socio-psychological constructs. The outputs are designed to support group deliberative processes including expert analysis. At the same time, this work contributes to resolving the confusion of approaches described in the literature.

Keywords: Environmental; Economics; and; Policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 18
Date: 2018-08-30
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-agr
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/276174/files/WP1808.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:uwauwp:276174

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.276174

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Working Papers from University of Western Australia, School of Agricultural and Resource Economics Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by AgEcon Search ().