It is believed that if the rules are followed, then the land will continue to provide. Subsistence peoples are the original conservationists, although they may not use that word, because their very lives depend on it. This is not to say there is perfect compliance with customary rules, as with any group of people. However, today most people still comply with the traditional rules and practices. They comply, even when there are additional government rules and regulations governing land and resource uses.
Federal law recognizes the compatibility of subsistence and wilderness values.
The law protects subsistence uses in the new parklands, national refuges, and wilderness areas. Subsistence peoples and traditional uses are part of the natural ecosystem and have helped to maintain it for generations. Alaskans have been living in and using these areas for thousands of years, and continue to do so. The lands are wilderness now, because subsistence is compatible with wilderness. Subsistence is not a welfare system for people with low incomes.