Human Variables in Biodiversity Assessment [HUMAN_BIAS]
Name of applicant
Joeri Witteveen
Title
Associate Professor
Institution
University of Copenhagen
Amount
DKK 6,984,324
Year
2024
Type of grant
Semper Ardens: Accelerate
What?
To stop global biodiversity loss, we need reliable metrics that capture the state of biodiversity. The development of such metrics is influenced by human values, aims, and interests. This project analyzes when and how such 'human variables' introduce biases that compromise scientific objectivity, but also how they can be leveraged to create robust, responsible, and actionable biodiversity metrics.
Why?
Unlike climate science, biodiversity science lacks consensus on key indicators for monitoring global trends. Different metrics offer different answers to the question of what should be counted, and what counts. To address the biodiversity crisis, it is vital to understand the origins and impact of the human aims and values that generate this diversity in biodiversity metrics.
How?
Using a philosophical toolkit complemented with qualitative and historical methods, we analyze the role of human variables in three 'domains of scientific decision-making' related to the creation of biodiversity metrics — setting baselines and boundaries, categorizing and classifying risks, and compiling global indices — from epistemic, ethical, ontological, and conceptual-historical perspectives.