Conservation biology is a value-based discipline

The methods of science call for objectivity—an assurance that the collection and interpretation of data are unbiased by preconceived ideas. Yet science is not free of human values, and it inevitably takes place within a larger social context.

Many ecologists have chosen to speak up or refocus their research programs as they have come to understand the biological consequences of the changes taking place on the planet. For example, in 1986, Dan Janzen, a tropical biologist who had largely committed himself until then to studying tropical plant-insect interactions, wrote that “if biologists want a tropics in which to biologize, they are going to have to buy it with care, energy, effort, strategy, tactics, time, and cash.” Such motivation does not necessarily detract from the objectivity of the scientific studies done by conservation biologists, as they understand that conserving biodiversity will require decisions based on sound and credible analyses, and weighing the trade-offs associated with conservation versus resource extraction. Furthermore, those analyses are subjected to rigorous scientific review by other scientists, who may challenge or even refute their conclusions.

In the next section, we'll meet one ecologist who put the values of conservation biology into practice. Then we'll examine the extent and causes of the current declines in biodiversity.