CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2021
| Author | Gurbanova, Aydan |
|---|---|
| Title | The ethics behind the eradication of invasive species: The case of grey squirrels in the UK |
| Summary | Environmental ethicists are concerned that an animal rights approach does not present moral reasons to protect species and ecosystems, while animal rights advocates are concerned because conservationists do not take into consideration the welfare or rights of individual animals, especially of invasive alien species. This interdisciplinary research considers such social and ethical aspects of invasive species through the analysis of the case of grey squirrels in the UK. The research aims to explore and understand the ethics behind the eradication of invasive animals through the discourse analysis of conservationists and animal rights organizations. Moreover, the research investigates the possibility of finding ethical common ground between conservationists and animal rights advocates regarding the treatment of invasive vertebrates. Interviews and document reviews are the methods employed in this study. The results suggest that conservationists’ discourse has mainly a negative connotation of grey squirrels, while animal rights organizations see them as victims. Findings suggest that the main disagreement between organizations is that conservationists mainly prioritize the wellbeing of ecosystems and species, while animal rights advocates consider the welfare or rights of individual animals as the most important point. Despite the theoretical disagreements, these organizations could potentially find compromise in practice through the implementation of non-lethal management methods. |
| Supervisor | Alan Watt |
| Department | Environment Sciences and Policy MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2021/gurbanova_aydan.pdf |
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