Aldo Leopold’s view on hunting as an environmentalist was one of concern and great respect for the land. He believed that a balance needed to be struck between man and nature and as long as man was not disrupting that balance, then activities such as hunting were not always harmful and, in some ways, had a positive effect. Leopold had a great respect for hunting that came about from his experience with it and his observations of the wilderness around him. He truly believed that it was mankind’s duty to learn and respect the land and to not upset the natural balance that already existed within an ecosystem; “A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise." …show more content…
When a good amount of time is spent in an ecosystem, one can really see how things intertwine and can learn the ways each species is valuable and important to each other. In gaining this knowledge, a respect can form for each and every species and this can help to lead to hunting that is not just killing for sport. Another positive would be the hunting of a species that is out of balance with its ecosystem; such as one that is threatening to eliminate another species due to large numbers taking over an area. This is when hunting restrictions may come into play and be a very useful component to hunting a certain species but using restrictions in order to ensure that not too many are killed off in an attempt to help restore balance. While there are pros to hunting as an activity, there are also cons which would help to formulate arguments against hunting. One example of a negative from hunting would be the potential extinction of a species. Leopold writes about the passenger pigeons and the actions of humans that led to their complete elimination. These actions involved hunting without restriction or concern of the species which led to their death in large numbers by killing them for both food and sport. The mindless killing of animals just for pure human pride is unacceptable and can lead to the extinction of a species which can create cause for concern