Why should we protect nature?

This questions proves surprisingly hard for students to answer. Are we protecting nature for humans? Or for nature itself? Surprisingly, the welfare of wild animals isn’t often used as a justification for protecting nature, but your students may see this as an oversight. Conservationists often talk about the intrinsic value of nature – the value it has simply because it exists, not because of how useful it is. They often see this value lying in species or ecosystems. But why?

This short video should help students explore where value lies in nature. I also have a slightly longer video and a written explanation.  

What can nature do for people?

Ask your students to give examples of how nature can benefit us (ecosystem services). Get them to think about who benefits. For example, a forest could provide firewood for people living in the forest, flood control for people in the surrounding area, recreation for visitors, and climate regulation for people globally. 

This is a chance to discuss power structures and inequality, because sometimes benefits to one person mean others lose out. For example, if commercial fishers extract fish from marine ecosystems, that may benefit wealthy consumers at the expense of local communities who rely on small-scale fishing. If people are prevented from hunting or collecting timber in the forest, this can push them into poverty. However, if their activities were unsustainable then banning them can bring benefits such as flood control or climate regulation. Closer to home, we can think about who benefits and who loses out if farmland gets rewilded.