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The presence of indigenous people in forests tends to hinder de-forestation and development by farmers, ranchers, and corporations, but the typical practices of indigenous people includes slash and burn agriculture and the hunting of wild animals to extinction. If the forest in which they dwell is large enough, the tribes can relocate and their previously occupied habitat can recover. It is a mistake, however, to imagine that it is normal human behavior to preserve forests and protect wildlife. The desire to preserve nature and protect other living beings develops out of compassion, which we might think of as an “emergent” property – something that begins to exist as a cultural norm (in this scenario) after a certain set of conditions is met. Compassion for animals and what Albert Schweitzer called “respect for life” emerged among modern humans millennia ago, but it only began to take hold in Western culture in the late 20th century. This is in spite of the irony that human children are born with compassion for animals, perceiving animals as different but equal until compassionate instinct is conditioned out of them by parents and society in general.
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