Summary Of The Land Ethic By Aldo Leopold

The most important reading was The Land Ethic by Aldo Leopold. This reading gave a clear overview of the land and how it should be viewed by society. I feel this reading provides a strong basis for the other works read during this semester and set the tone on how land and nature should be viewed. If everyone learned and accepted this land ethic that Aldo Leopold is proposing the ecological crisis wouldn’t be as significant, if at all apparent, today.
His first point about the land ethic employs people’s beliefs in community. Leopold explains how “The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include soils, waters, plants, and animals, or collectively; the land.” The ways he explains this puts this in simple terms that everyone should understand. Simplicity is important when trying to invoke change because without simplicity the information, solution, may be overlooked as something too complicated to implement. The community is a well-oiled machine that everyone contributes to by doing their part. Leopold is simply stating that in order to help

the land and nature extend the community to include the land and nature. This way the oiled machine will prosper better because the environment is not at risk as a result of the machines destruction.
Leopold then continues and explains why the land ethic needs to be implemented into everyday life. He goes to explain the land as “the biotic pyramid... [where] each successive layer depends on those below it for food and often for other services, and each in turn furnishes food and services to those above.” Looking at the land as this biotic pyramid gives people the ability to picture how everything affects the other aspects of the system. The significance of understanding the effect of the actions taken will allow people to get a better grasp on how they are inevitably, not only affecting the environment, but they are also affecting themselves. The decisions that people make should be based on the insight that the land is not as reusable as previously believed and slight changes to it will disturb the pyramid somewhere down the chain.
The most important aspect of this reading that stuck with me the most was the basic ideas that Leopold stated about the land ethic. It put everything into a simple perspective for me that was easily followed. He said the three basic ideas of land are “(1) That land is not merely soil. (2) That the native plants and animals kept the energy circuit open; others may or may not. (3) That man-made changes are of a different order than evolutionary changes, and have effects more comprehensive than is intended or foreseen.” The first one just shows how it is necessary to treat land as more than just what is seen. The influence of the land is far greater than what can be seen at first glance. It is precedent that this is recognized and remembered in order to be able to obtain an environment that is sustainable for society. The second idea displays how everything may not be understood and sometimes an action that may not harm one thing may endanger another. The last idea is the most meaningful in my eyes and if any of those should be remembered it should be the third idea.
The third idea explains how no one can predict the effect that man-made objects will have in the evolutionary long run. Everything done to the environment needs to be thought of in a futuristic view. The effect that something has on the environment today may be minimal to the effect it has in the evolutionary biosphere. It could seem like an amazing idea that would solve many of humanities problems today, but if tomorrow there is no humanity to enjoy the problem solved is it worth it? A perfect example of this was given during the presentations by Geraldine, I believe. It showed the beaver dam and how at the time it was an amazing idea and the benefits outweighed the costs. But now it is causing major ecological problems that is affecting the land; problems that could have possibly been avoided if they looked into the foreseeable future.
In order to make this land ethic work Leopold states that a better understanding of ecology is needed in order to ensure “…ethical relation to land, and a high regard for its value.” This knowledge would ensure that people ceased looking at land as an economic problem and began looking at it as an aspect in itself that needs to be fixed. The more people know about the harm being caused by the manner in which land and nature is used, the more the land ethic will take hold within society. Once the land ethic takes hold the ecosystem can begin it self-evolution at a slower pace to ensure the existence of man for a longer time on this earth.
The comprehension of the land ethic and everything it entails encompasses the reasoning behind me taking this class.

This reading, or an updated version, is something everyone should be required to read and at least consider the possibilities it entails. The ecosystem is an irreplaceable aspect to our society and people need to begin to realize the damage that is being caused by not understanding the harm they are enacting on the ecosystem. The ecosystem does adapt to change but what happens when the change caused is too violent for the ecosystem to manage, and it crumbles? I hope it never gets to this point and the more people who understand that without change the deterioration of the ecosystem is inevitable, the faster society can get on the correct track and amend the damage caused to the environment. It is time for people to stop being selfish and understand there is more to our society than

people.