The Land Ethic

“The Land Ethic” is the cornerstone essay in A Sand County Almanac and can be found in the final section of the book, which is titled “The Upshot”. In the essay, Leopold outlines his philosophy, explaining in relatively simple prose how he is extending ethics to the land. He goes through how the land—or nature—is a community of interdependent individuals. He also explains how we place too much value on the economic worth of natural beings, which implies certain anthropocentric actions that we feel justified to carry out. Finally, he discusses how we need to understand that we are part of the natural community, and that we should love and respect the land and all its interconnectedness. Leopold’s book, and this essay in particular, has been hailed as pioneering pieces of nonfiction literature in paving the way for modern conservationism.

In this section, you will find an overview of some of the ideas within the essay, a few points on what the Land Ethic calls for us to do, including a short discussion on applications within Singapore.