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Exploring my understanding

Understanding the cases

This list acts as an index to all the cases that have question sheets available.

Discussion topics

Many of the cases discussed here describe conflicts of interest between certain parties. These exercises are designed to sharpen your research and report writing skills.

Understanding dilemmas across multiple cases

A. Killing invasive animals - ecologists and animal welfare groups

Read She kills to be kind: the mastermind ecologist eliminating invasive predators as a general introduction to this topic.

Then read Grim Dilemma: Should We Kill One Owl Species to Save Another? which outlines a specific case concerned with owls.

Discussion points

  • Problems with killing from an animal rights view point. Why does it only get raised for some animals and not others? e.g. feral cats in Australia, wild horses in Australia are discussed on the site Invasive Species Council.
  • Alternatives to killing - are they feasible?  are they regarded as cost effective for funding purposes?
  • Consequences of not intervening - what will be the consequences of not intervening? Try to find some hard evidence from reputable sources

Activity

Write a structured, research supported report addressing the issues raised.

B. Conflict over deliberate introductions- ecologists and commodity producers

There are many cases in which commodity producers use land for production purposes which causes local ecosystems to be disrupted, i.e humans have deliberately introduced invasive species  in order to produce a commodity or improve their production.

Examine the case studies listed and determine three which have have occurred due to this factor. From three cases that you identify, select one and write a paragraph suggesting a way that this conflict may be de-escalated. Include references consulted.

 

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