That is a huge and wrong assumption. A land steward who attempts to "conserve" that which nature and time are destined to change, is operating in something more than vanity. Nature is independent of man; there is zero status quo to "conserve." As the earth's "stewards," men are told to go forth and multiply, that's why they have the earth.
In my Christian bible, Jesus mad it pretty clear I have two main jobs: 1. Love God with all my heart, soul, and mind, and 2. Love my neighbor as I love myself (that's two things for me to be doing, loving myself as well as my neighbors). On these two commandments depend all the law and all the prophets. Matthew said.
What exactly "stewarding the earth" entails is kinda far removed from what I figure are my real duties to my awesome and loved Almighty.
Gee, it is the only planet we currently inhabit. How can we feed the poor if some countries, like China and India, are destroying the top soil and ground water?
How can we show love not just one another today, but also to generations to come?