Escaping the jungle: Rethinking land ownership for a sustainable Future

Asad Zaman

Introduction: Beyond the Jungle
For centuries, capitalism has told us that land is a commodity to be bought, sold, and exploited for profit. It has also sold us a dangerous myth: that humans are inherently competitive, isolated individuals, destined to fight for survival in a brutal world. According to this worldview, land belongs to those who claim it first and use it for personal gain. But this idea is not only destructive it’s profoundly false.

Capitalism’s view of human nature is rooted in an outdated and simplistic understanding of the world. Far from being competitive, humans and many species have survived through cooperation and mutual support. And the way we manage land must reflect this deeper truth. In this article, we explore how the commodification of land has led to social and environmental destruction, and will present an alternative model called Green Land Stewardship, which emphasizes cooperation, sustainability, and collective responsibility.

The Destructive Myth of Competition
Capitalism is built on a narrow conception of human nature that we are animals competing for survival in a hostile world. This jungle of cut-throat competition only allows the fittest to survive, and power and wealth are the ultimate markers of success. This idea is not only harmful but also profoundly misguided.

Recent research by evolutionary biologists has shown that cooperation, not competition, is the foundation of human and animal survival. In social species, including humans, working together to share resources has proven to be far more beneficial than has hoarding and fighting over them. Capitalism’s emphasis on competition ignores this reality, encouraging the commodification of land and fostering inequality.
One of the most absurd manifestations of this competitive mindset is the idea that simply “discovering” land grants ownership to the discoverers. The Americas were named after the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci, despite the fact that countless civilizations had existed for millenia on these continents long before Europeans arrived.

This practice, much like the Enclosure Movement in England, took land away from those who had historically managed it communally and placed it in the hands of those who sought profit from it. The result was the displacement of millions and the exploitation of the land for short-term gain.

Impact of Land Commodification: Climate Crisis and Inequality
In his book, The Great Transformation, Polanyi discusses how three fictitious commodities are at the heart of capitalism. He writes that “To allow the market mechanism to be sole director of the fate of human beings and their natural environment … would result in the demolition of society.(as a result of commodification of land), nature would be reduced to its elements, neighbourhoods and landscapes defiled, rivers polluted, military safety jeopardized, the power to produce food and raw materials destroyed.

As Polanyi presciently foresaw, the commodification of land has had devastating consequences not only for people but for the planet. The Enclosure Movement, which privatized common lands in England, laid the groundwork for the capitalist systems of land ownership that dominate today. What was once a communal resource, shared and managed for the benefit of all, became a commodity to be exploited for personal profit.

This shift has not only deepened inequality, leaving millions deprived of access to land and resources, but it has also fuelled environmental destruction. The climate crisis we confront today is a direct result of this mindset. Land is treated as an infinite resource, with little regard for the long-term impact of deforestation, over-exploitation and pollution. Just as the Enclosures displaced rural populations, modern land exploitation threatens to displace future generations by undermining their ability to survive on the planet.

The lesson is clear: viewing land as a commodity leads to short-term profits for a few, but long-term disaster for all. The time has come to reject this outdated notion of land ownership and embrace a new model one which prioritizes sustainability, cooperation, and shared responsibility.

Green Land Stewardship: A Vision for Sustainable Prosperity
Green Land Stewardship offers an alternative vision of land ownership one rooted in the principles of sustainability, cooperation, and collective responsibility. In this model, land is not a commodity to be bought and sold for profit but a shared resource that must be carefully managed for the benefit of all people and the environment. Under Green Land Stewardship, ownership is tied to responsibility. Those who manage land are expected to care for it and use it in ways that promote sustainability and community well-being.

The focus is not on personal profit but on ensuring that the land continues to provide for future generations. This model promotes long-term thinking and emphasizes the need to balance human needs with the health of the environment.

One of the key principles of Green Land Stewardship is the idea that land must be used for the common good. Instead of fencing off land for private gain, communities can share resources, working together to cultivate the land in sustainable ways. Cooperative farming, community gardens, and public green spaces are all examples of how land can be used to promote both human well-being and environmental
sustainability.

Moving Beyond the Jungle: Cooperation as the Key to Change
To create significant change, we must reject the idea that humans are destined to live in a jungle of endless competition. We are not isolated individuals, fighting for survival in a hostile world. We are a species that thrives through cooperation, mutual aid, and collective action. The capitalist notion that land must be owned, enclosed, and exploited is a distortion of our true nature.

By embracing Green Land Stewardship, we can move beyond the destructive, competitive mindset that has led to so much inequality and environmental harm. We can reclaim our identity as cooperative beings, working together to create a more humane, just, and sustainable relationship with the land.

This shift is not just about land ownership it’s about transforming how we see ourselves and our role in the world. We are not meant to dominate and exploit the Earth; we are meant to live in harmony with it, caring for the land and for each other.

A Call to Action: Re-imagine Property Rights for a Sustainable Future
The time has come to rethink how we manage land, wealth, and resources. History has shown us the dangers of unchecked privatization and commodification of land. From the Enclosures to the climate crisis, the consequences of this mindset are clear: it leads to inequality, environmental destruction, and human suffering.

But there is another way. By adopting Green Land Stewardship, we can create a model of land ownership that emphasizes sustainability, cooperation, and shared responsibility. This is not just an alternative to capitalism it is a necessity for addressing pressing challenges of our time.

We must learn the lessons that nature has been teaching us all along: cooperation and mutual support are the keys to survival. It’s time to move beyond the capitalist jungle and build a more human and humane world — one where land is managed for the benefit of all, and where future generations can thrive in harmony with the Earth.

Source:
RWER blog/ WEA Pedagogy blog, 4Oct24
https://rwer.wordpress.com/2024/10/04/escaping-the-jungle-rethinking-land-ownership-for-a-sustainable-future/