Aldo Leopold Sand County Almanac Reaction
Aldo Leopold presents many interesting aspects regarding ecology and conservation within his writing of the Land Ethic, Round River, and “Think like a Mountain”. One statement that stood out among the rest was “Harmony with land is like harmony with a friend; you cannot cherish the right hand and chop off his left". The land is much like the human body—if one part is damaged or sick, the effects can be witnessed elsewhere. Like a cancer that attacks the cells, the effect of pollution, overhunting, and over farming can spread far beyond the site of initial damage. Further, Leopold points out the flaws of solving the conservation dilemma. So little is known about the environment and how it functions, and how each part makes such an impact on other seemingly unrelated parts. We cannot go about tinkering and toying with different aspects and take out species of plants and animals assuming that they will not impact the overall health of the surroundings. No matter how small, each element impacts that around in one way or another. It may provide nourishment, its decay may enrich the soil, or it may provide a vital service to another species. Again like a human body, removing a species is like removing an organ or a gland. We may be able to live without it, but something will be changed, a scar will remain, and the overall being will be weakened. Leopold points out that we have yet to think in terms of the seemingly unimportant pieces and only focus on those species and habitats in which we see value and beauty. We spend time preserving the species that are economically valuable to the population and don’t worry about the ones that are costing us economically. Like the wolves in “Think like a Mountain,” species causing economic damage (through things like slow growth, crop damage, or killing of livestock) are viewed as more expendable, less important pieces in the puzzle. We must have some responsibility for those species as well because they provide vital services to