Guard or gardener? Rethinking nature stewardship and protection

Have you ever considered the difference between nature stewardship and nature protection? For most, they are synonyms describing the same thing – a caring attitude towards our environment. However, behind these two concepts lie two different philosophies and relationships with nature. This difference was pointed out decades ago by one of Estonia’s greatest thinkers, Uku MASING, who distinguished between two contrasting roles: that of the guard and that of the gardener.

This article is part of ELO’s CountrySide Magazine, Jan/Feb 2026 edition.

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