Becca Franks (New York University): ‘A Systems Approach to Wild Animal Welfare’

Abstract: Wild animals face mounting threats from a variety of human-driven crises: climate extremes, habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, and pollution.  While conservation biology has a strong track record of protecting animal populations and species, the welfare of individual animals is generally understood to be outside the scope of its historical mandate.  In this talk, I will discuss the emerging field of wild animal welfare, which is distinct from previous work in that it emphasizes the lived experience of individual wild animals, and I will explore some of the novel questions it poses: e.g., (i) the complex nature of operationalizing wild animal welfare and (ii) the potential pathways to achieving good welfare outcomes for wild animals.

Becca Franks is Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at New York University.

This is an online event. Join via Zoom.