Tune in to the second episode of ANAW-USA’s One Health Conversation Series, featuring the President of the Board of ANAW, Professor James Nkansah Obrempong, and the President of the Board of ANAW-USA, Professor Janet Rumfelt, as we bring their different perspectives together to consider the topic of the Ethics of Conservation in a conversation facilitated by Dr Katherine Baxter, Executive Director of ANAW-USA. In this conversation we explore tensions between religious and scientific approaches to conservation; how different religious and philosophical traditions understand the relationship between humans and other animals; the role of religion in inspiring selflessness and self-transcendence as a means to overcome greed and anthropocentrism; and what these moral and religious teachings might be able to offer us as we work to harness people’s convictions and motivations to conserve the planet and its creatures.
Our intention with this conversation series is to highlight a wide-range of issues and topics pertaining to One Health, conservation, and animal welfare. We hope that you'll come away from these conversations with a deeper understanding of how the One Health philosophy operates across all levels of society, and how the health of people is closely connected to the health of animals and to everything else in our shared environment.
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Thanks so much for listening!
Producer & Facilitator - Dr Katherine Baxter, ANAW-USA Operations Manager
Assistant Producer - Ryan Twedt, ANAW-USA Intern
Podcast Editor - John Lindsay
About our Guests:
Professor Janet Rumfelt, is the president of the board for ANAW-USA and also serves on the board of directors for ANAW in Kenya. She also holds a Ph.D. and is Professor and Chair of the Liberal Arts Department in the School for Professional Advancement at Regis University. Using her background of comparative religious traditions, philosophy, and trauma studies she addresses conservation and animal welfare issues within the environmental humanities. Janet also oversaw the development of an M.A. Specialization in Environmental Studies at Regis University. She is active in nonprofit work having founded Running Wild, an annual 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run that supports beneficiaries in Africa that protect imperiled species and ecosystems.
Professor James Nkansah Obrempong, is the Dean of the School of Theology, NEGST at Africa International University in Nairobi, Kenya. He also serves as a board member for both ANAW-USA and ANAW, where he is chair of the board. He has earned both Master of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees from Africa International University and holds a Ph.D. in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. His work draws from his theological and ethics background to deal with matters relating to the environment, animal care, public policy and human-animal coexistence.