Relational value, partnership, eudaimonia: a review

In this paper we firstly draw on empirical research to argue that relational values are prime drivers in conservation action and strongly present in the wider public, and further show that they are central to much religious thought. We next clarify the conceptual relations of relational values to both constitutive value and intrinsic value, arguing that relationships with nature have constitutive value and that intrinsic value can reside in the relational triads of humans, nature and their relationship. Lastly, we show that partnership with nature (emphasizing intensity, harmony and space in the humans-nature relationship) and nature-inclusive eudaimonia (emphasizing how relationships with nature can be a central constituent of a flourishing human life) represent two ways in which relational values can crystalize and inspire conservation action.