A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold Book Analysis

Aldo Leopold was an American author, philosopher, and biologist among many other titles. One of his most influential works, A Sand County Almanac, is a collection of essays where he touches on subjects regarding conservation, environmentalism, and philosophy. Within that collection of essays is “The Land Ethic” in which he discusses and advocates for ethical land management, who should be responsible for and care for the environment, and the benefits of a stable and flourishing ecosystem. It is without a doubt that people need to develop and practice ethical land management. If people don’t, it could lead to continued destruction of Earth as well as the peoples’ ultimate destruction.

Over the course of human history, ethics and philosophy has evolved and expanded to include numerous entities and values. When God revealed the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai, the ethics proposed were based on how people should treat and interact with other people. From there, ethics matured to encompass broader topics such as the relationship between people and society. Presently, we are at the precipice of another philosophic revolution, and this time, the relationship is between man and the environment where there needs to be a shift in values; Leopold describes the current relationship as “…still strictly economic, entailing privileges but no obligation.” (20). To rely strictly on synthetic materials for infrastructure, technology, and food would be an insane proposition, so we rely on natural resources to meet our needs and then some. It is when we exploit the Earth to the point where irreparable damage is done and we manufacture more than we can consume do issues arise. A middle point needs to be reached where we can use the natural resources available to us without permanent damage to the planet. As stated by Leopold, “[a] thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. Is is wrong when it tends otherwise.” (30).

In the past, humans have seen themselves as the owners of the land where we could harvest the available resources around us and heed little to its ramifications. If we were to develop and adopt a land ethic, we would be able to sustainably and properly utilize those natural resources for decades without tarnishing the world. As Leopold states: “[a] land ethic of course cannot prevent the alteration, management, and use of these ‘resources’, but it does affirm their right to continued existence in a natural state.” (21). In this manner, we would still be able to harvest timber, catch fish, and mine for ore and minerals, but it would be done so in a fashion that would allow those ecosystems to thrive and flourish. Also, it would require restraint on our part to allow sections of these environments to continue on free and independent of human intervention. A balance needs to be struck where humans can continue to create and innovate, but not at the expense of nature for “[c]onservation is a state of harmony between men and land.” (23). It would require us to “change the role of Homo sapiens from conqueror of the land-community to plain member and citizen of it. It implies respect for his fellow-members, and also respect for the community as such.” (21).

Not only do humans need to change their perspective of their role in the world, but they need to change their perspective on nature’s right to exist. Human’s can still use the available resources around them for as salmons use sunken branches for shelter, as foxes consume rodents for sustenance, and as parasites leech of their hosts. After all, that is the interplay of nature. However, it is unethical to annihilate populations of wild predators because they prey on livestock for “[i]t is only in recent years that we hear the more honest argument that predators are members of the community, and that no special interest has the right to exterminate them for the sake of a benefit, real or fancied, to itself.” (25). It is unethical to over-harvest fish to the point where it is irreversible. It is unethical to fall trees where so many species depend upon its existence. We can ethically source these materials, but “[t]he bulk of all land relations hinges on investments of time, forethought, skill, and faith rather than on investment of cash.” (30). In America, at least, there is a tendency to search for the quickest, most efficient path regardless of cost, and cost, is what we base nature’s merit.

Regardless of the business, cost is king. It’s all about taking in as much money as possible while spending as few dollars as possible and ignoring the long-term side-effects of penny pinching. Our current conservation efforts are weak in some respects because “ [o]ne basic weakness in a conservation effort base wholly on economic motives is that most members of the land community have no economic value.” (25). Some farmers will pollute the earth and crops in order to increase their yield and economic value while ignoring the long-term effects it will have on the soil where they grow as well as those who consume the crops, both human and non-human. In order for long-term survival, it is imperative that we purge the “belief that economics determines all land use.” (30). Commercially raised cattle costs an exorbitant amount of resources; the land, the water, the food, and the medicine required to raise a calf to steak is incredibly inefficient. In order to satisfy the demand for beef, large swaths of land are cleared in order to house, shelter, and raise these animals, and as demand continues to grow, new land is cleared for them. Before it was cleared, that land had little economic value therefore, it is prime for razing and raising livestock. Again, this just feeds into the idea that the lands only use is for economic gain. No second though is given to the ecosystem that is being harmed, “[y]et these creatures are members of the biotic community, and if its stability depends on its integrity, they are entitled to continuance.” (25). These ecosystems have a right to exist and have tremendous value beyond their commercial benefit. Because of these handfuls of unfettered wildlife, we have clean air and water, we have an escape from our lives, but more importantly, they have a life free from us.

A few ways to convince the populace the importance of developing a land ethic are: education, fostering an emotional investment, and establishing a sense of community. Through proper education, people can understand and comprehend the importance of ethical land management. Historically, “[t]he usual answer to this dilemma is ‘more conservation education. No one will debate this, but is it certain that only the volume of education needs stepping up? Is something lacking in the content as well?” (23). Depending on one’s new source, one may hear conflicting arguments regarding climate change. Some sources will outright deny its existence, while others may briefly touch the subject, but throw their hands in the air as though there’s nothing that can be done about it, that we are too invested in the status quo that innovation will be too costly and burdensome. It also doesn’t help that there are those in government positions who deny its existence either because of willful ignorance or they’re paid by corporations who fear a green revolution. These issues can’t be addressed by education alone for “[t]he evolution of a land ethic is an intellectual as well as emotional process.” (30). If the public were to take more of an emotional investment and develop empathy and compassion for the critters, land, and forests around them, they would be more likely to adhere to greener personal standards where they would consume less, recycle more, and use what they already have. In turn, these actions could save land, time, money, and become more whole as an individual, but also foster a community-oriented mindset; they will see the world around them as a reflection of themselves. They will understand that flourishing ecosystems and thriving landscapes make for a more hospitable home and community. They will want to be and do better not only for themselves, but for others in the community, but for the community itself. The goal of the land ethic in this sense is to “simply enlarge the boundaries of the community to include soils, waters, plants, and animals, or collectively: the land.” (20).

Humans, as the dominate species on Earth, are ultimately responsible for the quality and quantity of land available to all other species. We have evolved to the point where we are the apex and the steward. It is our obligation to care for and nurture the Earth. We have made it appear to be a burden to do so, and in some respects it is, however, it if we don’t nourish the lands and waters, it is ultimately us who will pay the price. If we end up exhausting the Earth to the point where it is inhospitable for us, we will die. The Earth, however, will recover as it has done multiple times over eons. That being said, it isn’t too late to change our mindsets, values, and philosophies. We are still in the early days of climate change and if we act quickly and vehemently, we can mitigate the worst.