Spatializing Relational Values through Care Ethics, the Ecological Self, and Decolonial Conservation

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Relational Values (RVs) have emerged as a “third way” between intrinsic and instrumental values, emphasizing meanings, identities, and responsibilities that arise through relationships among humans, non-humans, and ecosystems. Rather than reducing nature to a resource or elevating it as an abstract moral entity, RVs foreground the lived, situated connections that shape ethical and political commitments. This paper contributes to ongoing debates about the status and role of RVs by proposing a framework for spatializing relational values within conservation practices.

The argument unfolds in three steps. First, it traces the conceptual evolution of RV scholarship—from its initial optimism as a bridge between competing value paradigms, through critical refinements addressing normative ambiguity, to recent empirical integrations in environmental governance. Second, it develops a philosophical grounding for RVs through three complementary notions: Care Ethics, the Ecological Self, and Decolonial Conservation. Care Ethics and RVs converge in their emphasis on reciprocity, interdependence, and context-specific responsibility, challenging universalist and utilitarian approaches. The Ecological Self extends this ethical stance by dissolving anthropocentric boundaries and fostering an identity rooted in ecological belonging. Finally, integrating Pluriverse Ethics and Decolonial Conservation highlights the political and ontological diversity of RVs, reframing conservation as a relational, plural, and justice-oriented practice rather than a technocratic project.

Building on these foundations, the paper proposes a spatial framework for RVs across three conservation contexts—wilderness/rewilding, rural, and urban—representing decreasing degrees of human–non-human coexistence. Despite spatial and cultural variation, shared RVs such as care, responsibility, and attachment persist, transforming conservation from an exercise in control and management into a practice of coexistence, care, and ecological citizenship within a pluriversal world. This approach positions RVs not only as a conceptual innovation but as a practical tool for designing inclusive, ethically grounded conservation strategies.

 

Keywords: Relational Values, Ecological Self, Care Ethics, Pluriverse Ethics, Decolonial Conservation, Environmental Ethics