Biodiversity and Democracy: Rethinking Society and Nature

Patrick Colgan is the former executive director of the Canadian Museum
of Nature.

The plight of our planet requires both scientific and political
attention. The book under review is a valuable contribution at this
critical interface. Wood, on the Forestry faculty at the University of
British Columbia, tackles the issue of protecting biodiversity against
present public interest in liberal democracies. Using practical
reasoning about nature leading to prescriptive statements (as opposed to
empirical reasoning leading to descriptive ones), he highlights the
moral content of political decisions, the problem of present versus
future generations, and the role of conceptual analysis. In a thorough
examination of biological diversity, Wood focuses on “differences
among biological entities,” the role of protected areas in
conservation, and biodiversity as a public good.

Each of three chapters then scrutinizes utility maximization, economic
efficiency, and consensus among stakeholders as criteria to land-use
decisions, but none results in protection of biodiversity. With this
conclusion, Wood moves to the heart of his argument for the priority of
biodiversity conservation, ably marshaling support from J.S. Mills’s
principle of harm through John Rawls’s theory of justice and other
political theorists. Wood thus provides a convincing basis for
conservation, in particular that “the costs” are warranted when
future generations are considered. He then laudably studies the
constitutional and statutory implications of this priority, specifically
discussing the Yukon Environment Act and calling for protective
legislation and an amendment to the Constitution Act of 1982.

The strengths of this book are its detailed scholarship and careful
analysis. The breadth and depth of material drawn on, from biology
through law to economics and political theory, are most impressive. The
arguments flow in a compelling sequence to the implementation of the
principle derived. Choices, such as that of anthropo- rather than bio-
or eco-centric values, are well defended. Unsurprisingly, and certainly
justifiably, forestry is often invoked by example. Most importantly,
this book provides a rationale and course of action from personal
convictions about the importance of conservation to political process.
Highly recommended for anyone who is concerned about finding solutions
to our environmental problems.