Value-conflicts in the conservation of a native species: a case study based on the endangered white-clawed crayfish in Europe

Abstract

The future of the native European crayfish Austropotamobius pallipes depends on accurate conservation management. The goal of this paper is to attempt an investigation of the major ethical conflicts that can emerge in the conservation of this endangered crayfish threatened by invasive competitors, introduced diseases, and landscape alteration. To assess this issue, we will employ the Ethical Matrix, in a version explicitly tailored for its use in conservation. The filled Ethical Matrix will highlight several potential conflicts between values such as environmental protection, social and economic interests, animal welfare, cultural and aesthetic value, etc. We will discuss these conflicts, alongside some potential mitigating strategies present in the literature. We will stress in particular the need to take into account the ethical principle of fairness when assessing the economic and recreational value of invasive species, especially concerning the unfair distribution of costs. Moreover, we will assert the importance of conservation of A. pallipes both for its existence value and for its role as an umbrella and keystone species. Beyond its focus on A. pallipes, the Ethical Matrix here discussed might also provide insights on the value conflicts relative to analogous in situ conservation efforts involving a native species threatened by invasive alien competitors. Graphic abstract

Ethical Analysis of the Application of Assisted Reproduction Technologies in Biodiversity Conservation and the Case of White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) Ovum Pick-Up Procedures

“…The EM permits us to unpack and analyze the ethically relevant aspects involved in a complex scenario, reorganizing them into a transparent and comprehensible picture of value demands. Originally developed by Mepham ( 27 ) for the ethical assessment of technologies and policies in agriculture and food processing, the EM has since been applied in many other fields—including veterinary medicine ( 28 , 29 ), forestry ( 30 ), aquaculture ( 31 , 32 ), assessment of human–animal interactions ( 33 , 34 ), management of contaminated agricultural ecosystems and radioactive waste ( 35 , 36 ), and conservation ( 37 ).…”

Application of decision tools to ethical analysis in biodiversity conservation

“…The EM is a conceptual tool used to identify the value demands involved in a complex scenario. It was introduced by Mepham (1996) in the context of food ethics and it has since been applied to several fields, including conservation (Biasetti & de Mori, 2021; Biasetti et al., 2021). It consists of a table listing general ethical principles in the first row and involved stakeholders in the first column.…”

Ethical reasoning and participatory approach towards achieving regulatory processes for animal-visitor interactions (AVIs) in South Africa

“…It is not a prescriptive tool [14] but helps decision-makers in reaching responsible and defensible decisions [13] by summarizing the moral interests involved, pointing out the eventual conflicts, and anticipating the positive and negative impacts on the stakeholders of the issue under investigation. It was introduced in the literature by Ben Mepham in the context of food ethics [15] and it has since been applied to several fields including forestry [16], fishery technology [17,18], radiation restoration strategies [19,20], conservation practices and policies [21][22][23], as well as in the assessment of human-animal interactions [4,24,25]. The opportunities provided by structuring a participatory process through EM are well known [26,27].…”