e37 www.thelancet.com Vol 386 November 14, 2015 In the 1940s, the renowned Wisconsin, USA, conservationist Aldo Leopold wrote “The Land Ethic” as the culmination of his now celebrated work, A Sand County Almanac. In his essay, Leop old articulated the need for, and the ethical basis of, a new relationship between people and the land. He imagined the awakening of an ecological conscience that re...