What an Academy Can Do to Promote the Conservation of Natural Resources

Modern man is not a builder. On the contrary he is an exploiter. He depends on natural resources, directly or with minor adaptation and modification, for his material needs. Likewise, he draws upon natural resources for thousands of things in which he takes special delight: things he sees, hears, smells, tastes, touches and feels. All of these natural resources are being cut down, torn down, shot down, burned, plowed up, washed away, blown away, and generally wasted and destroyed. Conservation of natural resources is inconsistent with utilization or use by man. If we use them we no longer have them in the same condition or quantity as before. We cannot eat our cake and have it. Man\u27s utilization of natural resources is proceeding at an accelerated rate which seems likely to continue. What, then, might we mean at this stage by conservation of natural resources? Whatever this definition is today, it must be subject to change with time