Why should conservationists have a positive interest in... farming? There are lots of reasons but the plainest is: Conservationists eat.
Urban conservationists may feel entitled to be unconcerned about food production because they are not farmers. But they can't be let off so easily for they are all farming by proxy.
People respect you more if you just play and blow something out than if you take the easier road. That's how we think. You get more respect and people play harder for you. Just play till you blow it. Just play till it goes.