Saving Britain's wildlife: Video and Podcast available!

On 11 November, our department and CPNSS hosted the LSE Public Lecture titled "Saving Britain's wildlife" discussing the ethics of conservation.

Britain's wildlife has been under pressure for centuries. Many of the large mammals that once inhabited these islands were driven to extinction long ago. In the twenty-first century, insect populations have collapsed by around three quarters. Is there any way back?

The experts on the panel discussed the ethics of conservation in the real world. When should we intervene and when should we leave "wild nature" alone? When conflicts between economic and environmental interests emerge, how should they be handled? How can scientists involve local communities in conservation to avoid tensions and build coalitions? Does a focus on large animals lead to undervaluing tiny animals, like insects, or can we help both at once? And since wild nature involves a lot of suffering, do we have to choose between prioritizing animal welfare and prioritizing biodiversity?

The panel:

• Iris Berger, conservation scientist and National Geographic Explorer (University of Cambridge)
• Luke Hecht, Science Director at the Wild Animal Initiative
• Karen Kovaka, Assistant Professor of Philosophy (University of California, San Diego) and a visitor at the Global School of Sustainability at LSE
• Matt Phelps, Lead Ecologist at the Knepp Estate
• Chair: LSE Philosophy Professor Jonathan Birch (Director of the The Jeremy Coller Centre for Animal Sentience)

You can listen to the podcast of the lecture here and watch the video on YouTube.