Humane Values as a Basis for Ecosystem Health

Humane values have broad public appeal. Care and compassion for our fellow creatures are deeply rooted in our emotional makeup and in our fundamental human abilities to understand and empathize with the experience of other people and animals (Kellert and Wilson, 1993). The emotional connections we form with the dogs or cats in our households, the horses in our pastures, and the many other animals in our lives are real and profound, and spring from the same sources as our loving connections with family and friends.