Seeking Value in The Land Ethic

Aldo Leopold holds that humans must find themselves not as owners or controllers of the land but members or citizens of an entire community. It seems that he is argueing that we have only met two of three components of "ethics"...the first being between with the "relationship between individuals" and the second between "individuals and society". The third that must still be realized and understood is an "ethic dealing with man's relation to land and to the animals and plants which grow upon it" (Leopold, 164). He finds this possible and necessary...but his whole piece makes it difficult to realistically find ourselves reaching this point, especially because of how selfish and self-centered our species is. A majority of our actions and efforts are due to, which he supports, economic gain and the misguidance from education about nature and the environment. He believes we are "head[ing] away from, rather than toward, and intense consciousness of land" (Leopold, 171). I am not sure if Leopold provides enough support for our race reaching a point of such consciousness. He belives it is possible, but I find that he is quite doubtful through much of the text and provides more uncertainty for the reader when he states that scientists are unsure of "what makes the community clock tick" while the ordinary citizen puts assurance in scientists actually knowing this. If scientists are so unsure of how communities and ecosystems work, and how they are truly being affected by human activities, how can Leopold support the point that our current relationship to land, being more of a conqueror than a member, is so harmful and not what the land ethic should include?