Ethics Then and Now - Essay Example

The conservation movement of our times is the beginning of the understanding of our relationship with the land. Man, on account of this communal living, is being seen as a member of the land community and thus it is binding on him to respect this individual, called land. Men have been shaped by the characteristics of the land on which they live. The Mississippi Valley would have been different if the land had not yielded bluegrass, while the pioneers in the South-west, due to livestock grazing caused land deterioration.

This plant succession turned the course of history and that is why land as a community is invaluable. When humans live in. In southern Wisconsin, in spite of the farmers being offered lucrative deals to conserve the environment, were found to apply their knowledge only in those areas, which gave them monetary gains, and failed to practice those which may have profited the community. When asked to frame laws in exchange for community help, in maintaining their lands, they failed to do so, because it might impede their economic progress.

They lacked the ecological conscience which alone can improve the environment. Land Ethics and government attempts at conservation generally fail because of their lack of economic value. Wildflowers and songbirds are tossed aside in spite of being an integral part of the biotic community. Many animals which may have been hunted down to extinction were saved by attaching economic importance to them. Trees that fail to give monetary returns are cut down, but in Europe, ecological enlightenment recognizes non-commercial trees as natives of the forest, hence guaranteeing their preservation.

In America, government agencies promote conservation, but private landowners alone can bring about better land ethics. Men whose industries are land or forest-based decry governmental regulations in land conservation. The other alternative would be that more obligation should be assigned to the private landowner so that improvement could be brought about in relation to the ownership of land. Population and Land HealthThe density of population has an adverse impact on land health which results in exploitative agriculture.

Wastage is rampant in many areas and the blame is placed on climatic changes.