Primary legislation in Britain has enshrined the 'voluntary principle'
at the centre of the working relationship between nature conservation
ists and other land-users. This paper examines the dilemma that arises
from the application of the legislation to long-term land management
strategies in support of nature conservation. In its historical contex
t this approach does not sit easily with wider goals such as the land-
use ethic of Aldo Leopold or the search for an ethic of sustainability
.