the slippery slope and habitat destruction

When I told my friend, Hadeel, that I had become a vegetarian she warned me of the slippery slope of morality. I fear that she is right. Once one decides to take a moral stance on an issue one finds that it has ripple effects into many other areas of life, especially if one tries to be consistent in one's beliefs.

For example, one may start as a vegetarian, but then realise that perhaps chickens and cows kept for eggs and milk are also badly treated, so then convert to being a vegan. One also starts to notice that animal products are used everywhere from marshmallows, furniture, clothes and shoes. So these must also be bought with great care.

Because I became a vegetarian primarily because I believe that animals have a right to life and one where they are not abused, it occurred to me that habitat destruction for human purposes also comprimises this right. Everytime a new housing development, parking lot, industrial area, farm lot goes up on a once open green space, the habitat/home of many creatures is destroyed. Yes they may be able to run away but soon those areas become overcrowded and cannot support all these refugee animals. Some animals may be killed in the act of clearing and digging up the land, especially baby animals and those not blessed with speed.

We humans tend to believe that all land is there to be owned and this may tie in well with economic principles. But considering that land was not always owned by humans, didn't have neat boundaries and is the home to many many creatures (including human) how can we just claim it as ours evicting all the original inhabitants? It is rather a colonialist attitude.

Where land is totally transformed (agriculture, urban areas) we may as well accept that it will never go back to what it was, but for the rest we should leave it. We must focus on utilising existing human space maximally, no longer spreading out and out and out, but up! Also we must change the scale of cities. It should be made in the old style with cobbled streets suitable for pedestrians and cyclists. This would also create that friendly, hospitable world that we all seek.