Why nature matters: A systematic review of intrinsic, instrumental, and relational values

Austin Himes*, Barbara Muraca, Christopher B. Anderson, Simone Athayde, Thomas Beery, Mariana Cantú-Fernández, David González-Jiménez, Rachelle K. Gould, A. P. Hejnowicz, Jasper Kenter, Dominic Lenzi, Ranjini Murali, Unai Pascual, Christopher Raymond, Annalie Ring, Kurt Russo, Aibek Samakov, Sanna Stålhammar, Henrick Thorén, Egleé Zent

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articleAcademicpeer-review

14 Citations (Scopus)
76 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

In this article, we present results from a literature review of intrinsic, instrumental, and relational values of nature conducted for the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, as part of the Methodological Assessment of the Diverse Values and Valuations of Nature. We identify the most frequently recurring meanings in the heterogeneous use of different value types and their association with worldviews and other key concepts. From frequent uses, we determine a core meaning for each value type, which is sufficiently inclusive to serve as an umbrella over different understandings in the literature and specific enough to help highlight its difference from the other types of values. Finally, we discuss convergences, overlapping areas, and fuzzy boundaries between different value types to facilitate dialogue, reduce misunderstandings, and improve the methods for valuation of nature's contributions to people, including ecosystem services, to inform policy and direct future research.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)25-43
Number of pages19
JournalBioScience
Volume74
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2024

Keywords

  • assessments
  • biodiversity
  • philosophy
  • policy, ethics
  • sustainability

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