Centre for Sustainable Animal Stewardship

At many levels, discussions evolve when it comes to living with animals. For example, management of wolves in the Netherlands, breeding on physical traits in dogs and the use of animals in laboratories for research. As many different interests and perspectives are involved, these discussions often reach an impasse. CenSAS provides a platform where stakeholders can discuss the underlying ethical and animal welfare questions, aiming to provide a base for finding solutions for the future.

Reaching coexistence requires a broad approach in which different parties and perspectives are essential. CenSAS addresses this through the following activities, explicitly taking the interests of animals into account.

Dialogue

CenSAS facilitates dialogue between citizens, people with lived experience, scientists, and professionals. By connecting local and scientific knowledge and encouraging conversation between people, CenSAS broadens and deepens discussions surrounding animal-related issues.

Research

CenSAS investigates issues related to animal welfare, human-animal relationships, and ethics. Greater knowledge and insight into underlying questions and problems help improve understanding of positions within public debates and support the search for responsible and sustainable ways of living together with animals.

Education

We work to link our projects to education and current research. Within our projects, we take advantage of the expertise available at Wageningen University and Research and Utrecht University, and we commission extra research in the fields of animal welfare, ethics, the relationship between humans and animals, and social aspects of these issues as necessary.

Consultation

Our objectives and methods place us at the centre of the interaction between parties and organisations that work with animals in the broadest sense. These include livestock farmers, animals protection organisations, animal-related commerce, and policy. CenSAS is open to provide substantive contributions in the fields of animal ethics, animal welfare, and human-animal relationships.