Values and bioethical principles identified by communities in ecosystem services provided by rivers and streams

Abstract

Purpose/Context. This article intends to analyze the bioethical values and principles communities identify in ecosystem services provided by rivers and streams to municipalities in the Apulo River basin, in the Department of Cundinamarca, Colombia. It builds on the idea of harmonious coexistence between human beings and rivers for achieving the sustainable use of such services. Method/Approach. The project has two parts. The first one is based on the positivist paradigm of research through field and laboratory quantitative methods. The second part employs the interpretive paradigm of research through social mapping workshops. Results/Findings. In analyzing the quantitative data, it was found that the river basin waters are polluted at all sample sites, especially by feces. The identification of the values of ecosystem services provided by rivers and streams was strongly influenced by a productivist, localist, and anthropocentric conception. Discussion/Conclusions/Contributions. Since pollution affects the environment, both now and in the future, it is necessary to adhere to the principles of precaution, responsibility, and justice.

Keywords

• bioethics principles and values
• environmental sciences
• water quality
• environmental ethics
• apulo river basin
• cundinamarca
• colombia