Life is good and death is good. Death is only good when it serves as nutrients to sustain life.
Life is good, on the other hand qualifies death as a function of the process of living.
Since we are a recent evolutionary species, or the latest of god's creations, whichever you prefer, it follows that we require all that came before us in order to survive. We are currently eradicating these beings at the rate of 10,000 per year. If we do not value the organisms that evolved to accumulate and retain these nutrients, or hold the soil against the forces of erosion, and we do not value the nutrients resulting from the death we do cause, I sincerely doubt the current system is capable of perpetuating our current standards of living. So, why should we not begin by establishing as fundamental principal, that life is good. I agree with you that equilibria are established within ecosystems so that nutrient loss is equal to or, in pre-climax situations, less than, nutrient gain.