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Aldo Leopold’S Land Ethic And The Great Lakes: A Paradigm For Understanding The Morality Of Aquatic Invasive Species Management, M. Andrew Sanford, John Uglietta, Phd

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Abstract: This essay explores what obligations we have to protect the Great lakes ecosystem from the threat of aquatic invasive species within the context of Aldo Leopold‟s seminal essay in environmental philosophy The Land Ethic. In this essay I argue that Leopold‟s land ethic provides a consistent and dynamic paradigm for how we perceive and protect the natural environment. The land ethic is summarized in what I call Leopold’s Edict which directs us to preserve the health and beauty of the natural environment. The land ethic implies that people interested in conservation must develop a firm understanding of what …