The Intangible Values of Biological Diversity

The article starts from the premise that by definition all human values are intangible and penetrate into scientific networks just as the sea floods a fishing net. The author discusses the inherent values of the intangible dimensions of biodiversity in a reflection from the perspective of natural sciences and environmental policies. After establishing the importance of the subject, the author examines the semantic scope of the concept of biodiversity and its limitations, and compares it with the concept of nature and other more comprehensive and ethically significant concepts. Then, he analyses how the consideration of intangible values of biodiversity in the major international organizations such as IUCN has evolved in recent decades and highlights some of the milestones that have occurred. The article ends with a discussion of the situation in Europe with special reference to Catalonia.