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THE SHEPHERD’S JOURNAL
Issue 8.8.2026
Have We Forgotten What Conservation Means?
The word conservation gets thrown around a lot these days. So does preservation. Somewhere along the way, people started using them as if they mean the same thing.
They don’t.
Conservation is the wise use of a natural resource. It recognizes that people are part of the landscape, not separate from it. Preservation is different. It seeks to protect nature from human use.
That distinction matters.
In this week’s Shepherd’s Brief, we take a hard look at the difference between conservation and preservation and why confusing the two is shaping public opinion and policies that affect wildlife, working landscapes and the people who live with both. Mother Nature Doesn’t Practice Conservation—People Do.™
Tom Opre
Executive Director
Shepherds of Wildlife Society
Issue 8.8.2026
Have We Forgotten What Conservation Means?
The word conservation gets thrown around a lot these days. So does preservation. Somewhere along the way, people started using them as if they mean the same thing.
They don’t.
Conservation is the wise use of a natural resource. It recognizes that people are part of the landscape, not separate from it. Preservation is different. It seeks to protect nature from human use.
That distinction matters.
In this week’s Shepherd’s Brief, we take a hard look at the difference between conservation and preservation and why confusing the two is shaping public opinion and policies that affect wildlife, working landscapes and the people who live with both. Mother Nature Doesn’t Practice Conservation—People Do.™
Tom Opre
Executive Director
Shepherds of Wildlife Society
