Leopold's Land Ethic

               I’d not heard of Aldo Leopold when Janelle brought his name up in class. We only discussed his ideals briefly, but I was intrigued by his ‘land ethic,’ which seemed more all-encompassing and less anthropocentric than many of the perspectives we’d examined thus far. I did some research and what I found only increased my respect and fascination for the man. Leopold (pictured below) is known most for his conservation efforts and for his book A Sand County Almanac, though he played many roles throughout his lifetime (including that of hunter). 

              His central idea was that which we discussed in class, a land ethic that expanded the definition of ‘community’ to include soil, water, animals, and plants. With that expansion, the role of man changes, becoming an organism whose role is no more or less valid than that of the other organisms that inhabit his environment. The success of the whole is then determined by the cooperation and/or competition of its parts. Leopold firmly believed this, yet did not strip man of his agency. Rather, through the lens of his land ethic, Leopold pushed for a form of wildlife management that sought to promote a healthy and diverse biotic community rather than exploit the environment for man’s gain.

At first, I had trouble reconciling these two roles that Leopold specifies for us, that of a “cog in the ecological mechanism” and that of an informed steward of the land. Thinking more about it however, I think that Leopold is simply asking us to be self-aware in our interactions with the land around us. He writes, “A conservationist is one who is humbly aware that with each stroke [of the axe] he is writing his signature on the face of the land.” Leopold believed, and evidence has shown, that the success of the biotic community benefits its individuals. As part of that community, we should seek to follow Leopold's example.