Given the understanding that the environment is unavoidably inked to humanity it seems a little doubtful that we can just decouple so absolutely.  This is a common attitude in rural and urban planning where the world is neatly divided up into zones of urban, agriculture, industry, etc.  Making room for nature in that kind of world is very difficult as it will always lead to a loss from another interests that are already in conflict with one another.  It is particularly problematic in places like Sub-Saharan agriculture where people, nature, and agriculture are in such close proximity and these conflicts are a more of a social issue.<p>I think it is better to have more fuzzy edges and make ecology an intrinsic part of development that people will want to defends.  For example a new development should surrounded by a buffer of woodland&#x2F;wetlands&#x2F;grassland that will be valued by residents.