Three preconditions for helping wild animals at scale (Rethink Priorities)

Executive Summary

1. A theory of change specifies how a social movement will achieve the change it desires. The theory first posits preconditions that are necessary for meeting its goals. It then explains how the movement’s activities help meet the preconditions. This report lays out the preconditions for the wild animal welfare movement to help wild animals at scale.
2. The movement’s main goal is to_ promote the interests of individual nonhuman animals not under the direct control of humans as ends in themselves_.
   1. The movement’s fundamental normative assumption is that_ speciesism is ethically unjustifiable_.
   2. The fundamental empirical assumption is that wild animals face a number of anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic threats.
3. Humans already have the ability to help some wild animals with _some _problems. But three preconditions must be developed in order to help a substantial fraction of wild animals with the conditions have the biggest negative impact on their welfare:
   1. Valid measurement: Knowledge of (a) how to measure well-being among wild animals and (b) the causal relationships among the factors that influence it.
   2. Technical Ability: Technology and skill to implement and evaluate interventions to help wild animals at scale, while minimizing unintended negative consequences.
   3. Stakeholder Buy-In: Consent from stakeholders with veto power, and collaboration from stakeholders who can implement scalable interventions.