Prudence, justice and the good life : a typology of ethical reasoning in selected European national biodiversity strategies

Communication, participation and education (CEPA) are considered key to the implementation of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). To improve biodiversity communication, the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation commissioned an ethical expertise on good arguments in favour of biodiversity in 2011. This final report presents findings from an analysis of the German, Austrian, Swiss and EU biodiversity strategies with regard to their concepts of communication and ethics. The triad “Prudence, Justice and the Good Life” serves as an analytical tool to group and evaluate the arguments to be found in the strategies analysed. The study is addressed to people working in the field of biodiversity communication and education who are interested in ethical aspects of biodiversity politics. It provides an insight into the field of environmental ethics for non-philosophers and is meant to promote and enhance ethical debate in biodiversity communication.