Forsaking Nature? Contesting ‘Biodiversity’ Through Competing Discourses of Sustainability

Helen Kopnina*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The Convention on Biodiversity has developed the concept of ‘ecosystem services’ and ‘natural resources’ in order to describe ways in which humans benefit from healthy ecosystems. Biodiversity, conceived through the economic approach, was recognized to be of great social and economic value to both present and future populations. According to its critics, the economic capture approach might be inadequate in addressing rapid biodiversity loss, since many non-human species do not have an economic value and there may thus be limited grounds for prohibiting or even restricting their destruction. This article aims to examine the concept of biodiversity through competing discourses of sustainability and to discuss the implications for education for sustainable development (ESD).
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)51-63
JournalJournal of Education for Sustainable Development
Volume7
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2013
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Biodiversity
  • conservation
  • ecocentrism
  • education for sustainable development (ESD)
  • environmental ethics
  • sustainable development

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