Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Conservation biology
9-26-15
Reflection paper
The education is the primary key in conservation, as Leopold explains in the section the
ecological conscience (207). He says how everyone agrees that we just need more education to
get the conservation up, however, he believes it is the content of said education that needs to be
improved upon. You may be told to do small simple task here and there, but nothing that will
have a large impact on the community or that you will even notice it helped, no at this point it
needs to be self-driven. We need to take the obligations that we have as people of our community
to help each other and our land.
How would you characterize your own conservation philosophy? How did you come to
hold these beliefs?
I believe as human beings we need to be able to live. We also need to be able to have the
mindset that other organisms have the same right to be here as we do and we need to treat them
as such. As Leopold gave the idea that in order to be a good member of our community we need
to take care of it, not just the people or the animals but also the land and plants and water. I liked
the story he gave about the farmer putting the toxins in the water and still being accepted in the
community, it made me think about how much that type of thing could go on without us having
any knowledge of it. We all have an obligation to the world, to each other, and to ourselves to
take care of the gift we have been given.
Consider this statement: A land ethic changes the role of humans from conqueror of the
land community to plain members and citizens of it. It implies respect for his fellowmembers, and also respect for the community as such. How would you apply this ethic in
practice?
This statement puts us on the even playing field, we as man may be able to do amazing
things, the construction technology we have is outstanding. We can turn a piece of land into
almost anything we want, however this does not mean that we should do that simply because we
can. When Leopold says the something is not right unless it is helping to preserve the biotic
community, this statement can be taken to the extreme or taken as the advice to do better.
Leopold says that we are in the land pyramid, although we may be a ways down we are in it,
everything would eventually come back to us. This is why we need to be careful with what we
are doing now.
Leopold wrote in the 1940s, The land-relation is still strictly economic, entailing
privileges but not obligations. What would you say is our land-relation today?
I think that the land relation is still very much economical. This do to the crops we grow,
the land we sell, and all the places that we build. We get so caught up on how much money we
could make off the land that we think it is just a free resource, which we dont have to do
anything for it in return. This statement brings me back to the education, we dont know the
obligations we have. We need to be taught of such things to be informed of what we need to do.
The land relation in my eyes has gotten better. We have things like historic sites, national park
systems, and laws that say you can just dump your oil in the ground anymore. We are improving,
but as Leopold said, at a very slow pace.
Leopold says the land ethic is extending a communitys sensibilities to all members of the
community, nonhuman as well as human. What would that mean in your life or
community?
In my community where I just recently moved from they were constantly planting trees,
taking care of them, and making sure they looked nice. We also had a lake, they made sure they
kept the water circulated and kept all of it under control for all of us to enjoy. If everyone does a
little part then it helps more than we would think. There are people that make it bad for everyone,
People who litter or dont clean up after their dogs. Simple task that go a long way.
Do you agree with this passage from the Land Ethic: A thing is right when it tends to
preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it
tends otherwise. Was Leopold suggesting that the integrity of the biotic community
supersedes the concerns for its individual members? What are the implications of this
concept for you?
I do agree with this statement. I dont see how you would do something one purpose to
harm the biotic community, because again you are part of it. Doing something purposely harmful
to the community is a selfish act. For example, going out into the wild and pouching an elk, that
harms that biotic community. That elk has been taken out unauthorized and can no longer
contribute to that specific community. We should be concerned about helping the environment.
So anything that goes against that is not right.
In thinking about your land ethic, does it emanate primarily from self-interest, or from a
true interest in non-human elements?
Ever since I was little I have loved the outdoors. We use to take a yearly trip in the
summer to flaming George where I fell in love with nature and the mountains, and that love
continues today. As a child I was never one to sit inside and play video games, I wanted to be
outside in the dirt and climbing trees, anything outdoors was right up my alley. My family is
also big into hunting and that has helped me as well to understand nature and all that it does for
us. This is ironic because I cant kill anything to save my life (except spiders, those I do not
hesitate on) so when I go with them deer hunting I dont shoot I just go for the fun of getting to
be outside (and of course taking time off work to do so helps too).
Conclusion
I do think that this was a useful exercise. I think that this is an important topic that needs
to be discussed and this is one way to do it, because many of us probably wouldnt of went out
and found this on our own. I wouldnt say that the reading changed my opinion because I
already had this opinion to begin with, I would say however that it did expand my mind to look
at it in a deeper way. To really have to think about it. I never knew that soils could be a part of
the community or water for that matter. When you think about it though it makes sense.
I would recommend this to everyone. We are all part of communities weather we want to
be or not. It is our obligation to help to better ourselves, and our communities. After reading the
land Ethic it almost made me kind of sad to think of all that is going on that can be hurting our
lands, and not much out there that is helping them. What is going to happen to our children, will
they even know what nature is? Or will it be some story that they have never got to see in real
life? Of all things I hope it does not come down to that.
My favorite part was when he talked about the land pyramid. Showing how things we do
now will come back to affect us later on. I think this shows people just how serious it can be, and
explains it in terms that everyone can understand. The part that was confusing for me was when
he had the statement A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty
of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise. I like the statement, I think most
people would, however it can be confusing, it is a strong tool if understood correctly.
Im looking forward to being able to apply this information into my life and do better,
and hopefully along the way be able to help other people understand, and want to become better
as well. Im grateful for the opportunity to of read this and to be in a class where I can lean about
my obligations.