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. 

 Health is the capacity of the land for self-renewal. Conservation is our effort to understand 

 and preserve this capacity. 



In general, the trend of the evidence indicates that in land, just as 

 in the human body, the symptoins may lie in one organ and the cause in another. The 

 practices we now call conservation are, to a large extent, local alleviations ofbioticpain. 

 They are necessary but they must not be confused with cures. The ati of land doctoring is 

 being practiced with vigor, but the science of land health is yet to be born. 



Aldo Leopold, in "Sand County Almanac and .Sketches 

 Here and There, "1949 



