Our Vision and Goals
Our vision is to preserve nature for future generations of all life on Earth.
We work towards that vision in two ways:
We work to hold governments accountable to the broad public interest for preserving nature, and regulating its use by current generations, as a trust for futurity.
To live up to our own obligations as public scientists, we conduct research, outreach, and education to support the broad public interest, while aiming for the highest scientific integrity.
For quick summaries of the carnivores we work with, click on the names of carnivores below.
Dr. Adrian Treves founded the Carnivore Coexistence Lab in April 2007.
The challenge of preserving nature in the face of climate change and the sixth mass extinction requires that current generations recognize their public duty to protect nature for future generations. It also requires that governments and public scientists account transparently in a sophisticated way for nature's assets as a trust for current and future generations not narrow interests. The constitutional and public trust frameworks that establish these duties are legal obligations as well as ethical and moral responsibilities. Since 2012, Dr. Adrian Treves has combined ecology and the law to understand the roles of legal, ethical and scientific duties in preserving nature for posterity. The Carnivore Coexistence Lab members are public scientists who strive to uphold these duties to the broadest public not narrow interests or donors. To do so, we transparently describe our value judgments as follows:
- Nature is an asset held in trust for current and future generations of all life.
- Youth, current adults, and future generations have equal rights.
- Democratic governments are empowered by the sovereign public to preserve nature and regulate its use as a trust for the broad public.
- Respect the law.
- Use ethical justifications for nature preservation and use.
- Use best available science and account transparently and reproducibly for the condition of Nature's trust.