A LIGHT ON THE LAND Ethic

“Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land” 

-Aldo Leopold, 1949

In 1949, Aldo Leopold published his “Land Ethic” essay, the finale to A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There. In this essay, Leopold, a midwest-based ecological conservationist, spoke of the need for individual responsibility to the land over self-interest. He called for land conservation based on moral responsibility to the natural world. Natural resources do not just have value as ecosystem services--they have inherent value to simply exist, and land itself offers more than those services which can be quantified.

“Land, then, is not merely soil; it is a fountain of energy flowing through a circuit of soils, plants, and animals [...] like a slowly augmented revolving fund of life.”

-Aldo Leopold, 1949

As humanity has ethical obligations to itself, such ethics should extend to the land as well, not just for our benefit, but for the benefit of our communities. Thus was the argument Leopold made in his, now famous, essay. Since then, the conservation movement has almost universally accepted Leopold’s land ethic. 

Of course, Leopold is not the only famous environmentalist to put forth ideas about the land and natural resource use. Grifford Pinchot, an environmentalist of the early 20th century, heralded a definition of conservation as “the wise use of the earth and its resources for the lasting good of men” (Gifford Pinchot: A Legacy of Conservation). According to this ethic, humans should use land sustainably, avoiding exploitation and extinction of resources, so that future generations may also benefit. This wise-resource-use attitude became a foundation of the modern conservation movement. 

Another leading environmentalist of the 20th century, John Muir, proposed a different land ethic; one of preservationism. According to this ethic, nature is inherently valuable. It is essential to the human spirit, and should be preserved with as little disruption by humans whether for resource extraction, recreation, or scientific inquiry. This attitude largely formed the basis of the preservation movement, which aims to protect nature from human use, in as pristine a form as possible.

Together, these three land ethics form the primary attitudes of most modern day environmental movements. To live, work, and play on the land, we must understand and define what we believe about the land, and determine our own obligations to it. As individuals, as professionals, and as organizations, we must define our land ethic. 

With that in mind, let me introduce NRP’s land ethic--what we affectionately call LIGHT ON THE LAND. This little, four-word phrase is seen everywhere we are--our logo, website, trucks, business cards, even our shirts. It permeates who we are because it’s more than just a marketing tag. It’s at the heart of our mission as ecological restoration professionals. Just as conservationism and preservationism drove Pinchot’s and Muir’s environmental attitudes and work, Light on the Land drives our attitude and work. It is our land ethic; our attempt at defining our obligation to the environment. It is our ecological conscience.

“A land ethic, then, reflects the existence of an ecological conscience, and this in turn reflects a conviction of individual responsibility for the health of the land”

-Aldo Leopold, 1949

So what does this mean? This means that whatever we’re doing to restore the land should not further damage the land. We aim to conserve and restore habitat without further degrading soils and native communities. The techniques we use for our restoration projects are just as important as the end product. It requires walking a fine line between low-intensity management and effective management, but it’s a challenge well worth the effort for the sake of the land. 

To serve the land and its people, and to do so in a way that upholds the integrity of existing communities and ecosystems--that is our responsibility as professionals, our goal as stewards, and our mission as a company. Perhaps in due time, more will join us in upholding an ethic that includes not just our communities, but the lands we live on as well.

“When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect”

-Aldo Leopold, 1949

References

(2017). Gifford Pinchot: A Legacy of Conservation. US Department of the Interior. https://www.doi.gov/blog/gifford-pinchot-legacy-conservation 

(2021). The Land Ethic. Aldo Leopold Foundation. https://www.aldoleopold.org/about/the-land-ethic/ 

Leopold, A. (1949). The Land Ethic. A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There, (pp. 201-226). Oxford University Press.

Westover, R.H. (2016). Conservation versus Preservation?. Forest Service US Department of Agriculture. https://www.fs.usda.gov/features/conservation-versus-preservation