Is Aldo Leopold’s “Land Community” an Individual?

The concept of “land community” (or “biotic community”) that features centrally in Aldo Leopold’s Land Ethic has typically been equated with the concept of “ecosystem.” The author argues that we need to rethink Leopold’s concept of land community. First, Leopold’s views are not identical to those of his contemporaries, although they resemble those of some subsequent ecologists. Second, the land community concept does not map cleanly onto the concept of “ecosystem”; it also incorporates elements of the “community” concept in community ecology. Third, the question of whether land communities have boundaries can be addressed by an analysis of land communities as individuals. There are challenges to be worked out, but the author argues that these challenges can be resolved. The result is a defensible land community concept that is ontologically robust enough to be a locus of moral obligation while being consistent with contemporary ecological theory and practice.