Ecocentric Bias and the Human Welfare: Reintegrating Human Welfare into Environmental Conservation Discourse

Abstract

In recent times, the concept of ecocentrism has, to a large extent, influenced environmental ethics and conservation discourse by attributing intrinsic value to nature at the expense of human interests. However, while this framework has empowered several ecological approaches and enriched various forms of ecological consciousness, it has, by implication, produced what we identify as an ecocentric bias. By ecocentric bias, we refer to a conceptual imbalance that tends to isolate the human being from the environment, or rather, attempts to subordinate human welfare to environmental preservation, which we consider a problem. From this perspective, this paper critically engages with the imbalance in ecocentricism by arguing that the human person is not an external entity to the ecosystem, but an integral part of it. By extension, highlighting various lived realities of the people, including poverty, inequality, and survival-based environmental degradation, our paper contends that any environmental philosophy or conservation policy that does not consider or disregard human socio-economic conditions risks becoming ethically and practically biased. Through the methods of conceptual clarification and critical analysis, this paper interrogates the prevailing ecocentric paradigm, focusing on how it has marginalized human needs in conservation science. In doing so, our paper advocates for a mediatory framework that focuses on harmonizing environmental integrity with human flourishing, rather than placing them against each other. This paper concludes by arguing that sustainable environmental stewardship is only possible when both the human and ecological dimensions are held in balanced ethical regard, thereby providing a just and inclusive model for global conservation efforts.