This post is adapted from an article I published in the Journal of Applied Philosophy. The original article is more detailed, but also more philosophically dense and likely less relevant to EAs.

Epistemic status: confident about the core argument, less about the examples and details.

TL;DR: Almost all suffering in the world today is experienced by wild animals, yet ecosystems are incredibly complex and it's hard to predict what outcomes any particular intervention will have. This post addresses the concern many people have about uncertainty/risk in this cause area by developing a framework for precautionary intervention that weighs ecological risks against welfare benefits. I then identify types of interventions that promise particularly favorable risk/benefit tradeoffs: eliminating the worst diseases, eliminating certain parasites, pursuing more substantial or experimental interventions in urban areas and ecological islands, and promoting high-welfare ecological regimes.

The Problem

Most wild animals suffer and die young due to three systemic factors:

1. High reproductive rates (evolution favors producing more offspring than can survive)
2. Limited resources
3. Antagonistic behaviors (competition, predation, parasitism, disease)

These factors characterize virtually all ecosystems, from rainforests to deserts to urban environments. While humans cause significant harm to wildlife, natural factors contribute far more [...]

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Outline:

(01:11) The Problem

(01:49) Why Small-Scale Interventions Arent Enough

(03:00) Two Approaches to Wild Animal Welfare Work

(05:42) The Complexity Challenge

(07:31) A Framework for Precaution

(07:53) The uncertain balance of welfare in the wild

(08:56) Reasons for precaution

(11:50) Promising Near-Term Interventions

(12:15) 7.1. Targeting the Worst Suffering (certain diseases)

(13:19) 7.2. Eliminating Redundant Suffering (certain parasites)

(15:09) 7.3. Urban Interventions

(16:04) 7.4. Ecological Islands

(17:17) 7.5. Promoting High-Welfare Ecosystem States

(18:22) What About Gene Drives?

(19:51) Caveats and Future Work

(21:05) Conclusion

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First published:

Source:

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

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Images from the article:

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