the ecological, economic, social and intrinsic value of biodiversity and the difference between instrumental and intrinsic value in conservation decisions

What this dot point is asking

VCAA wants you to distinguish the different types of value biodiversity holds, give Australian examples for each, and explain why the instrumental versus intrinsic distinction matters in conservation decisions. Strong answers recognise that one species can carry several types of value at once.

Ecological value

Ecological value is the contribution biodiversity makes to keeping ecosystems stable, resilient and functioning. Diverse ecosystems are more resistant to disturbance and recover faster, because if one species declines, others can take over its role.

For example, predators such as the dingo help regulate populations of kangaroos and introduced herbivores, which protects vegetation and soil. Pollinators, decomposers and nitrogen-fixing plants all hold ecological value because the system stops working properly without them. Ecological value underpins the ecosystem services people rely on.

Economic value

Economic value is the worth of biodiversity as a source of resources and services that can be measured in money. It includes direct value (products harvested and sold, such as fish, timber and crops) and indirect value (services such as pollination, water purification and coastal protection that would cost a fortune to replace artificially).

The Great Barrier Reef supports a large tourism and fishing economy. Native bees and other insects pollinate Australian crops worth hundreds of millions of dollars each year. Wild plant genetics provide material for breeding disease-resistant crops, which has long-term economic value that is hard to price.

Social value

Social value is the contribution biodiversity makes to human society and quality of life beyond direct economic measures. It includes recreation, mental and physical health, aesthetic enjoyment, education, scientific knowledge, and cultural and spiritual significance.

For Aboriginal communities, Country and its species carry profound cultural and spiritual meaning that is inseparable from identity and law. National parks such as Wilsons Promontory provide recreation and wellbeing for millions of visitors. Social value overlaps with the cultural ecosystem services category but is framed around human society rather than the ecosystem.

Intrinsic value

Intrinsic value is the value something has in itself, simply because it exists, independent of any usefulness to humans. Under this view a species deserves protection even if it provides no resource, service or recreation.

Intrinsic value is harder to argue in economic terms, but it is central to many conservation ethics and to the way Aboriginal and other communities relate to the natural world. A complete conservation argument usually combines intrinsic value with instrumental values.

Why the distinction matters

The terms instrumental and intrinsic sort all of these. Ecological, economic and social value are forms of instrumental value, because they describe ways biodiversity is useful to people. Intrinsic value stands apart, because it does not depend on usefulness.

This matters in decisions. A project that destroys a habitat might be justified on short-term economic value, but a full assessment weighs ecological value (lost services), social value (lost recreation and culture) and intrinsic value (the right of species to exist). Recognising all four types prevents decisions being made on money alone.