Environmental Challenges: Rights and Values in Ecosystem Services

Humans are very innovative, but we’ve also created many ecological problems. We’ve changed the face of the planet, fished the oceans, and we’re causing climate change through emissions.

Designing institutional arrangements that recognise ecosystem services in the values we place upon natural systems will be an important way to help governing the planet, for both present and future generations.

This course explores three approaches to rights and values, and applies these to ecosystem services around the world. It also includes advice on producing press releases about environmental issues.

The course is suitable for anyone with a general interest in values and environmental decision-making; no previous knowledge or experience is required.

If you are working in environmental management, or wish to learn more about it, this course is designed to support you as a professional. By completing all aspects of the course you will have achieved 14 hours of CPD time.

• The principles of rights and values
• Welcome
• Activity 1 - The nature of values
• Activity 2 – Coasian bargaining
• Activity 3 – The precautionary principle
• Revision
• Summary
• Applying the principles
• About week 2
• Case study: Precaution and the nature of values
• Discussion: Ecosystem services
• Writing about – Press releases
• Revision
• Summary