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“To make visible what matters, even when we can’t always
quantify it neatly.”
Yet, ignoring these invaluable, non-quantifiable dimensions carries severe
consequences. Arghya warns that policies developed without acknowledging
such cultural and relational values are “ecologically unsound” and “socially un
just”. This highlights a critical ethical imperative in conservation: true sustain
ability demands a valuation framework beyond mere economic metrics. While
acknowledging that “valuation frameworks are powerful”, he stresses they also
“have their limits” and “should not be used just to assign prices”. Instead, they
aim “to shift attention, to make visible what matters, even when we can’t always
quantify it neatly”. Arghya brings this lens to his work, leveraging valuation as
“a bridge between ecology, equity, and ethics”, thereby seeking a more compre
hensive and just understanding of nature’s worth