sociological imagination
Wildlife conservation is a value withing iteslf; people value saving animals from extinction and value preserving natural resources. Societal norms regarding wildlife conservation would be refraining from killing endangered wildlife as well as promoting respect for wildlife. Normally sanctions include imprisonment of people who do kill an endangered species, although this isn't always the case.
A value is a person’s principles or standards of behavior. Most people tend to value wildlife conservation for the simple fact that we love animals. Most people tend to feel empathy towards animals that are in danger of disappearing, especially if they’re cute and cuddly. Other people view conservation as a way to help preserve things we want future generations to see. Most people want to be able to show their children and grandchildren what a tiger is rather than say “ I remember a time when tigers used to live”. But perhaps the most important reason we value conservation is mainly for our own sake. If the biodiversity on earth were to slowly degrade and collapse, mankind would surely go down with it. These three values serve as a foundation for norms and sanctions because as the most “advanced” species we owe it to ourselves and our fellow species to maintain the delicate balance in nature, or risk losing it all.
A norm is a standard or pattern, especially of social behavior, that is typical of a group. When it comes to wildlife conservation many norms tend to be broken, especially by those who value profit over well being. Poaching is one of the major norm-breakers. Killing an animal for its body parts such as tusks, horns, or skin to be sold in the black market goes against the principle of conservation, which is to help a species in decline so that it may never go extinct. Habitat destruction is another major norm-breaker because it continues to harm the species that depends on that habitat for survival. People who destroy the habitats these species live in do so to make room for so called “progress”, and to profit from it. Of course the most notorious of the norm-breakers is the denial of climate change. Climate change affects the global environment and has disastrous effects on all ecosystems, especially polar ones where animals who depend on ice are at risk due to the ice melting. Often its government officials that deny climate change the most because they are being influenced by big businesses such as coal and oil producers, and because it is being denied no proper action is being taken to address it. All these violations go against the preservation of wildlife around the world in that they further threaten species with extinction.
A sanction is a reward or punishment that a norm associates with a behavior or appearance. Two formal sanctions towards the killing or attempted killing of an endangered species are either incarceration or death. Many countries have laws who penalize those who kill an endangered species for anything, food or profit. Some countries have gone so far as to kill on sight anyone who is caught having killed an animal as rare or valuable as a tiger as one national park in India has done. These laws are put forth to discourage the killing of endangered wildlife for profit. However, the price usually outweighs the risk, which is why greater enforcement of the laws must be made.
A value is a person’s principles or standards of behavior. Most people tend to value wildlife conservation for the simple fact that we love animals. Most people tend to feel empathy towards animals that are in danger of disappearing, especially if they’re cute and cuddly. Other people view conservation as a way to help preserve things we want future generations to see. Most people want to be able to show their children and grandchildren what a tiger is rather than say “ I remember a time when tigers used to live”. But perhaps the most important reason we value conservation is mainly for our own sake. If the biodiversity on earth were to slowly degrade and collapse, mankind would surely go down with it. These three values serve as a foundation for norms and sanctions because as the most “advanced” species we owe it to ourselves and our fellow species to maintain the delicate balance in nature, or risk losing it all.
A norm is a standard or pattern, especially of social behavior, that is typical of a group. When it comes to wildlife conservation many norms tend to be broken, especially by those who value profit over well being. Poaching is one of the major norm-breakers. Killing an animal for its body parts such as tusks, horns, or skin to be sold in the black market goes against the principle of conservation, which is to help a species in decline so that it may never go extinct. Habitat destruction is another major norm-breaker because it continues to harm the species that depends on that habitat for survival. People who destroy the habitats these species live in do so to make room for so called “progress”, and to profit from it. Of course the most notorious of the norm-breakers is the denial of climate change. Climate change affects the global environment and has disastrous effects on all ecosystems, especially polar ones where animals who depend on ice are at risk due to the ice melting. Often its government officials that deny climate change the most because they are being influenced by big businesses such as coal and oil producers, and because it is being denied no proper action is being taken to address it. All these violations go against the preservation of wildlife around the world in that they further threaten species with extinction.
A sanction is a reward or punishment that a norm associates with a behavior or appearance. Two formal sanctions towards the killing or attempted killing of an endangered species are either incarceration or death. Many countries have laws who penalize those who kill an endangered species for anything, food or profit. Some countries have gone so far as to kill on sight anyone who is caught having killed an animal as rare or valuable as a tiger as one national park in India has done. These laws are put forth to discourage the killing of endangered wildlife for profit. However, the price usually outweighs the risk, which is why greater enforcement of the laws must be made.