Intrinsic value has been the focus of philosophers’ inquiries in numerous contexts. In the case of wildlife, environmental ethicists have offered a variety of frameworks asserting that species possess value outside of the utility they offer humans, although there is contention within the field as to these claims. However, wildlife’s intrinsic value has received minimal attention outside of the normative approach taken by environmental ethics. Thus, little is understood about intrinsic value in the context of conservation from a social psychological perspective.
Using a national data sample from the United States, this study addresses four research questions: 1) What is the prevalence of the belief that wildlife possess intrinsic value? 2) Is the belief that wildlife possess intrinsic value separate and distinct from existing measures of wildlife value orientation (i.e., mutualism)? 3) Does the belief that wildlife possess intrinsic value help explain other wildlife-related judgments? 4) What social and demographic factors are associated with the belief that wildlife possess intrinsic value?
The study found that a majority of the public (69%) holds the belief that wildlife possess intrinsic value; that intrinsic-value belief is distinct from wildlife value orientation; that intrinsic-value belief is associated with other wildlife-related judgments; and that most social and demographic factors have minimal direct association with intrinsic-value belief. These findings have implications for the field of human dimensions of wildlife as well as wildlife policy. Perhaps most importantly, my findings suggest the majority of the American public deems wildlife worthy moral consideration – meaning, wildlife are entitled to be treated in ways that consider their welfare, rather than simply being utilized for humanity’s benefit. Presently, wildlife policy in the United States largely ignores the welfare of wildlife, focusing almost exclusively on provisioning benefits to human beings. Altering wildlife policy such that it provides meaningful consideration for the welfare of wild animals would require profound changes to the policies and institutions that govern wildlife conservation in the U.S.