wise use of mires and peatlands - Peatland Ecology Research Group

122 FRAMEWORK FOR WISE USEdecisions’ process. In most cases a proposalwill emerge either preponderantly positive orpreponderantly negative. It is to be decidedin the circumstances of each case whetherthe negative elements are ‘stoppers’ or not.For example, in some cases a record of poorcorporate governance would be a stopper. Inother cases it might cause the authorities tosay ‘yes’ but to impose a code of conduct.In applying the Framework it should berecalled that Wise Use is not simple orsimplistic and cannot be reduced to formulae.5.2 DECIDING IN PRINCIPLE IFAN INTERVENTION ISADMISSIBLEOverall, the major - anthropocentric - conflictswhich arise with respect to peatland use arebetween those who wish to develop miresand peatlands for their production or carrierfunctions, and others who wish to preservethem for their regulation and non-material lifesupportfunctions.In dealing with peatland conflicts, theapproach of moral pluralism discussed earlier(§4.5 and §4.9) is relevant - differentconsiderations apply in different cases: it isnot possible to reduce all complexities tosimple principles or single measures.With respect to conflicts relating to humanneeds and wants, two aspects have to beconsidered:● the effect of the proposed use 3 on thefunction itself: does the interventionnegatively affect the further provision ofthat function 4● the effect of the use on other functions:does the intervention negatively orpositively affect other functions.This section provides some assessmentcriteria for dealing with these questions.5.2.1 The effect of a use on the functionitselfThe effect of the intervention on the functionitself 5 has to be judged using the criteria inTable 5/1.Criterion Question Answer Consequence1. Advantage Will the proposed intervention have a No No interventionpositive effect on the satisfaction of human Yes Go to 2needs and wants?2. Essentiality Are the resources or services to be provided Yes Interventionessential for the maintenance of human life 6agreedand non-substitutable? No Go to 33. Self- If the proposed resource use or service is Yes Go to Table 5/2maintenance implemented will the continuous provision No Go to 4of the same quantity and quality of resourcesor services remain possible?4. Abundance Are the peatland resources or services Yes Go to Table 5/2to be consumed by the proposed intervention No No interventionabundant and will they remain abundant?Table 5/1: Criteria and decision tree for assessing the admissibility of an intervention withrespect to its effects on the function itself.