The Promise of Conservation Biology

Abstract

Michael Soulé’s Conservation Biology helped institutionalize a scientific discipline founded upon normative principles. Maintaining that biodiversity possesses intrinsic value, Conservation Biology promoted the task of providing mechanisms and influencing policy which would allow for the preservation of that diversity. As such, the discipline quickly became the darling of many environmentalists who saw this scientific field as possessing the best of both worlds: the technical acumen and political power of science along with the ethical foresight of environmentalism. Negotiating between those two worlds, however, has not been easy. Today, the foremost challenge facing conservation biology remains balancing scientific legitimacy with political efficacy. Conservation biology also must be careful not to use “nature” to seal off debate on what constitutes the proper role of humans. As such, Soulé’s daunting task still remains worth pursuing.