A Sand County Almanac
Leopold begins his article by describing the understanding and cooperation between a mountain and a wolf. The wolf depends on the mountain to provide a habitat for it and its prey, the deer. The mountain, in turn, depends on the wolves to keep the deer population in check so that they do not over take and destroy the mountain’s landscape. This cooperative relationship has since been destroyed because people have come in and removed the wolves, thus destroying the mountain because the deer eventually took over and overexploited the vegetation on the slopes. Through this event of removing the wolves, people have shown a lack of ethics for animals as well as the land. In the past, people have treated their fellow man the same way, or in other words as property, to be controlled and exploited. Ethics, or the right and wrong associated with such control over our fellow mans has evolved through time so that most people are considered equals. Therefore, a cooperative and competitive balance has been reached so that each person can survive yet maintain a distinct place in society without bringing harm to others. At present, people do not respect the land or the plants and animals upon it the same as they do each other. Conservation concerns the exploitation and development of resources, which often leads to degradation and extinction of environments and species. In other words, people do not have any ethics or values concerning the best way to govern and use the land. No cooperative relationship exists between giving from the earth to the people and the returning from the people to the land. However, as long as both the land and people exist, such a relationship may yet evolve. Thus, there is hope yet for the preservation of the land and its valuable resources.
Man’s need for power and domination of the earth has caused many species to flee their native lands or become extinct. There is not one ecosystem left on the planet that has not experienced some change either directly or indirectly through human activities. What began as small populations of hunters and gatherers has led to a global population exploiting all the resources that land has to offer. Children depend on their parents for food and sustenance until they are old enough to support themselves. Like this parent, Mother Nature has provided everything necessary for people to live, grow, and prosper in every way. However, unlike the respectful relationship usually seen between children to their parent or caregiver, people act ungratefully towards Nature and continue taking what she has to offer even when their needs are satisfied. Also, people give nothing back in return.
Extirpation of a species from an area is not uncommon if that species is thought to negatively impact human development. For example, humans may remove predators such as wolves, bears, or coyotes that are eating their livestock. Considerations to the wild populations that this predator may control are not considered. Once that predator is no longer present, people begin to realize, in hindsight, the critical role it once played.
In many areas deer have become a community problem now that no predators are present. This overabundance of deer has reduced crop production, threatened the lives of numerous motorists, and increased competition between other organisms that may share the same food source. A problem associated with the extinction of so many species today is that people are only now discovering so many ecological niches that they never knew existed when the species was present.
Easton T. Classic edition sources: environmental studies. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2009. pp. 10-2.
