Abstract:
The ethical implications of conservation actions are worth discussing in environmental science and conservation courses. Consideration of ethics sharpens student critical thinking skills, and illustrates the difficulty of designing conservation strategies in the real world. In this paper a framework for briefly introducing ethics philosophy in a large-enrollment environmental science class is presented, along with a case study in which these philosophies can be discussed. The case study involves the current policy of killing wild bison (Bos bison)that leave Yellowstone National Park in winter. Bison that wander onto cattle wintering grounds are viewed by local ranchers as potential sources of the disease brucellosis. Exposure of cattle to this disease would be economically devastating to the regional cattle industry. Students are asked to weigh the needs of local ranchers, the National Park Service, recreational users of the Yellowstone region, and the bison themselves in considering the ethics of the current management policy.
Keywords:
ethics, conservation course
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