Center for Humans and Nature

Ideas of Humans and Nature

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Advancing the Land Ethic

Lead Staff: Curt Meine, Ph.D.

Rationale

The emergence and evolution of an American land ethic, and a global “earth ethic,” has formed the core problematic of the conservation/environmental movement over the last century, especially in the decades since Aldo Leopold defined the discussion in his classic A Sand County Almanac (1949).  Further development of the land ethic is fundamental to achieving healthier and more resilient relationships between humans and nature.  As long-term social and environmental trends play out and new issues emerge, we need to advance the land ethic by involving new audiences and constituencies.  We need as well to continually examine and elaborate the intellectual foundations of the evolving ethic.

History & Partners

This project is centered on outreach and communication, and involves work with a wide variety of individuals, organizations, and audiences working at the intersection of environmental ethics, environmental science, land and resource stewardship, and ideas of civic responsibility and land health.  Through 2010, Curt Meine, Director of Conservation Biology and History, has been a featured speaker and presenter before a diverse array of organizations, including: the Marquette Law School Public Service Conference on Water and People; the 75th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference; the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Culture, History, and Environment; the International “Weeds Across Borders” Conference; the U.S. Forest Service National Leadership Team Meeting; the Watershed Management Conference of the American Society of Civil Engineering Environmental and Water Resources Institute; the Land Ethic Leaders Program of the Aldo Leopold Foundation; and the Wisconsin Library Association.

Meine’s work on the history and development of land ethics has also been featured through various media outlets, including an hour-long interview broadcast over Wisconsin’s state public radio network; an invited essay prepared for broadcast over BBC-3 radio; and a contributed essay in the volume Moral Ground: Ethical Action for a Planet in Peril.  In October 2010, the University of Wisconsin Press published a new edition of Meine’s 1988 book Aldo Leopold:  His Life and Work.

Goals & Strategies

The central goals of this project are to communicate an evolving land ethic to a broad audience, as well as engage this audience in the development of the land ethic.  Specifically, the project seeks to (1) engage environmental professionals, academic leaders, and the general public; (2) provide access to information on the philosophy of the land ethic and its relevance to conservation today; and (3) explore and elaborate the intellectual foundations and applications of the evolving land ethic.

What’s Next

In 2011, Curt Meine is scheduled to deliver a number of lectures, keynote addresses, and featured talks.  Reaching several thousand people, these presentations will focus on themes of environmental ethics and history, sustainability, conservation, and social and economic resilience.  Speaking engagements for the year ahead include invitations from:  the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 50^th Anniversary of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Celebration (January); the Midwest Land Trust Alliance Conference on the Science, Practice, and Art of Restoring Ecosystems (January); and the Cary Institute for Ecosystem Studies Conference on Ecology, Philosophy, and Environmental Ethics (May).  Check back with us soon to see a calendar of Curt Meine’s speaking engagements.