Can we, as natural resource managers, combine the two thoughts of ecocentrism
and utilitarianism equally in our management plans? Throughout this paper, I will
identify what ecocentrism is, what utilitarianism is, and how they would work in sync and
how they cannot work without one addressing the other. I will attempt to explain that we
can do this.
Ecocentrism, the natural approach, is the benefit of all organisms with human
beings being equal to the trees, animals, and the Earth in general. There is a lack of
short-term benefits from an ecocentric viewpoint. However, preservation can pay off in
the end, through sustainability and conservation in the practices of management. By
paying off in the end, the values of the ecosystem, from an ecocentric viewpoint, are
constant (sustainable) which increases integrity, health and diversity of the ecosystem.
Fewer Americans have this ecocentric approach to our natural environment
because it is sometimes deemed as extreme thought. Society believes that there needs to
be discussion and resolution (resolving) of the issues and values behind ecocentrism
before they will be swayed more towards this approach (Slocombe). Ecocentrism has
more unforeseen values (long-term) whereas society views that as unattainable. Without
commodities and forest products making people in society live more comfortably, people
will eventually revolt because of lack of comfort and economic welfare.
Ecocentrism has the notion that all things (species) are created equal and are
interconnected. According to the ecocentric viewpoint, we as humans are equal to the
mollusks, zebras, and trees. We are just one of the millions of species that exist on earth
and we traveled down the same evolutionary pathway as all other organisms living in this
earth, as well as the earth itself. Another ecocentric view is that all things have intrinsic
value and worth along the chain of evolution, making all parts equal. When asked to
prove intrinsic value, a philosopher once said that living things are able of organizing and
directing themselves. Organisms have goals of their own, at least the unconscious goals
of living and reproducing, so they have interests. Since they have interests, they have a
right to peruse those interests, and because they have this one right, they have intrinsic
value (Philosopher unknown). Ecocentrism does not believe that the wilderness pr
anything in it should be compromised or bargained with in the political or societal world.
Rather, ecosystems should be preserved and protected with the utmost respect.
“Utilitarianism is more of a normative approach (the norm of today’s world
view), ethical or moral theory; collective thought that takes precedence over individual
thought for the benefit of all humans’ happiness through the consumptive use of our
natural resources” (Thiroux). Utility is the root of utilitarianism. Utilitarianism means
the pleasure by choosing one action over another, where the focus of right or wrong is
based solely on the consequences of choosing that action. Utilitarianism embraces the
concept of trying to implement the actions that will provide the benefit for everyone, and
elude negative consequences for everyone. Utilitarianism can be treated as an individual
morality or collective choice of what brings about the most happiness to humans
(Thiroux). It (utilitarianism) moves beyond ones own interest to benefit the interest of
all. In a sense, if we solely apply the utilitarianistic approach, we could quite possibly
eradicate our natural resources and end with species extinction. “Natural systems are
never stable, and if we solely apply the utilitarian approach the extraction process will
only degrade the ecosystems, creating a spiral of decline” (Chase).
The essence of utilitarianism is resource extraction, from the ecosystem, primarily
timber based. The benefit of humans, in economic terms, is the utmost priority. Purely
applying resource extraction based management results in a loss of integrity in the
forests; decline in ecosystem health and the naturalness of the ecosystem. Loss of
naturalness meaning, not applying a hands off ecosystems approach (letting nature take
its course). Rather, replanting, taking away from the naturalness of the ecosystem. This
constrains the ecosystem to allow for self-regulation. Self-regulating meaning, all parts
functioning effectively. In the utilitarian approach, they extract several of the parts from
the ecosystem necessary for the ecosystem to be able to self regulate. “Nature was
perfect, it had all of its parts but many of those parts have since been lost. Nature will
only decline, it cannot get better” (Chase). Utilitarianism entails short-term benefits
without long-term sustainability of the ecosystem. Instead, it emphasizes on sustainable
products of the forest (timber). To the utilitarian, the forest is considered healthy when
the productive objectives are achieved. The objectives do not include areas of interest
such as a decrease in erosion, increase in diversity or the increase in biological integrity.
Instead, the objectives of the utilitarian approach include timber volume, recreation
hours, etc. Rather than placing the values on the inhabitants (wildlife of the forest) and
the trees within the ecosystem, the objectives are what comes out of the ecosystem.
(Chase)
If the utilitarian approach is applied without any respect to the ecocentric
viewpoint, the ecosystems are destined to decline. Ecosystem health, diversity and
integrity would be in jeopardy because of lack of respect, preservation and conservation.
In other words, lack of sustainability. There needs to be a balance or a blend of the two
thoughts (ecocentrism and utilitarianism) for society and the natural environment to
coexist. Diversity of belief is the rational to strive to be integrative between these two
philosophies. By integrating these two philosophies, it will create a diversity of thought
and enable professionals in natural resource management to be proficient in extracting the
resources from the ecosystem while practicing long-term sustainability. We need to exert
effort of blending these approaches to be able to sustain valuable ecotypes and be able to
extract necessary timber for society. However, without a trace of the ecocentric
viewpoint the trees will only be sustained for production, creating a lack of diversity
within the forest. Ecosystems cannot thrive and maintain balance if the only use of the
forest is for sustained product. The forest is a system as a whole and all of the parts need
to be sustained in order for it to function effectively, not just the product (timber). The
lack of sustainability will degrade the ecosystem by not providing suitable habitats for
wildlife (such as old growth stands). To preserve is to promote long-term sustainability.
If we solely apply the ecocentric approach into ecosystem management without
respect to the utilitarianistic thought, people will revolt because there would be a lack of
commodities. Furthermore, if we leave nature alone, completely, as the ecocentric
approach implies there creates disastrous, unintended consequences. “When a biological
community is left undisturbed, it reaches a state of senescence biologists call a “climax”.
In this state, its expenditures of energy is roughly equal to its input of energy and the
community begins to decline” (Chase). However, ecosystems [change] decline very
gradually. We may be able to achieve this “mythical” balance of the two approaches
slightly before climax to benefit the commodity (utilitarianistic view) while sustaining
the land up to the point before climax and preserving parts after the resource extraction is
undergone (to benefit the ecocentric view).
Bibliography
Chase, Alston. 1997. The Scenario: An Example of Ecosystem Management in Action.
Distinguished Lecture Series (provided by The Pennsylvania State University).
University Park, Pennsylvania.
Slocombe, Scott. 1998. Defining Goals and Criteria for Ecosystem-Based Management.
Springer-Verlag. New York Inc.
Thiroux, Jacques. 1995. Ethics, Theory and Practice. Fifth Edition. A Simon &
Schuster Company. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.