wise use of mires and peatlands - Peatland Ecology Research Group

VALUES AND CONFLICTS: WHERE DIFFERENT VALUES MEET101CHAPTER 4.VALUES AND CONFLICTS: WHERE DIFFERENTVALUES MEETThis chapter analyses types of conflicts, and how such conflicts arise in relation to mires andpeatlands.4.1 INTRODUCTIONThe concept of “Wise Use” 1 incorporatescomplex environmental, economic and socialconcerns that require integrated decisionmaking.Different values may be intertwinedin a complicated way. Values may be mutuallyincompatible, and - when compatible - thedistribution of the benefits can be a matter ofdispute. To make sound decisions,incompatible values have to be identified,conflicting claims have to be weighed againsteach other, and norms have to be establishedfor assigning priority to one over another 2 .There are serious limitations to the extent towhich values and claims can be compared.Many values can be compared only if we takefairly extreme cases (one value at stake in asmall way, another in a big way). Alternativelyvalues may lack attributes that allow additionand subtraction. But in general 3 , competingclaims can be weighed to such extent (“thisis more valuable than that”) that sensiblejudgements can be made or workablesolutions can be found, at least between thosewho share the same “world-view” 4 .Under democratic conditions, acceptednorms take the character of “mutual coercionset by mutual agreement” 5 : guidelines,conventions, and laws. This presupposes asetting in which people - in an open debatebased on all the information and reasoningavailable - agree freely to restrictions on therealisation of individual preferences. Suchagreements are made from the perspective ofcitizens who take a moral interest in publicaffairs while the coercion itself (norms, laws)restricts the behaviour of private persons andinterest groups who try to satisfy theirpreferences and economic interests.In the rest of this chapter these generalstatements are analysed in more detail,starting from a position that considers humanbeings as the prime focus of concern 6 .4.2 NEEDS, WANTS ANDRIGHTSAs a preamble to a discussion of conflicts, itis important to discuss the difference betweenneeds and wants.(i) Needs: According to John MaynardKeynes, absolute needs (necessities/primary goods/basic interests) are thosethat can be fully met: there is a physicalmaximum to what a person can consume ofdrink, food, sex, company, information, etc.