Multilevel Ethics of Conservation *

Abstract

The System and Metasystem Approach are applied to the Problem of Conservation Ethics. The cultural and historical heritage is affected by detrimental and spillover impacts which originate in business and industrial systems, as well as by decisions taken by public and private enterprises. These entities will have to be included in the Conservation System if we are to harbor any hope of reversing current trends of damage and of deterioration to natural and cultural heritages. The Conservation Ethic must encompass not only the cultural/historical heritage but also the natural/biological heritage. The latter involves the conservation of natural resources, energy, and, in general, the preservation of all environments on the planet Earth. Unless Conservation becomes an issue which pervades decision making of natural/biological, as well as cultural/historical resources, no progress will be made in efforts to modify the current Ethos which guides this planet's decision-making forces. As a start toward meeting this objective, the value concepts which underlie the Conservation Ethic must be enlarged and operationalized. It is argued that the level of abstraction of the concepts of historical and cultural heritage must be lowered in order to operationalize them. They must be translated into concepts which can be used to calculate how much Conservation is worth and how much it costs to organizations. Decision makers understand ‘economic language’ better than ‘moral language’.