The Ethics of Zoo Licensing and Funding in the Netherlands

Abstract

In this thesis I examine the obligations imposed on zoos by European Commission Directive 1999/22/EC. I ask to what extent there is a moral obligation to compensate zoos for the costs incurred as a result of participating in captive breeding programmes. I present a conceptual framework for discussing different types of public and private goods based on (1) an input of labour, (2) the locus of a benefit, and (3) the presence or absence of a legal compulsion. I conclude that there is indeed a moral basis for a compensatory form of public funding.