Problems with "leave what you find"

I recieved this thoughtful email from Mark Jones and he has kindly allowed us to publish it on our blog:

I have question about one of the Leave No Trace principles that I thought I'd get some clarification on. I guess because if carried out to the letter it clashes with much of what I promote and do with family and students... I took the following passage from the LNT website.

"Leave What You Find
"Long ago the Old People learned to share without touching, to take but not destroy, to merge with the wairua of their creation and to respect with love. In this action of heart and mind, the secrets of the forests, mountains and rivers were thus revealed" - Mitaki Ra

People visit natural areas for many reasons, among them to explore nature’s mysteries and surprises.

When we leave rocks, shells, plants, feathers, fossils, artefacts and other objects of interest as we find them, we pass the gift of discovery on to those who follow.

Particularly, never disturb culturally sensitive sites. "

Is LNT saying, as it appears to be, to not to pick up shells from the beach, keep a feather found on a track as a memento, not to build a flax basket in a forested area or in fact eat of the berries, etc. that a plant might provide?

My daughter's creche has just initiated a philosophy of getting nature indoors. They are trying to get children connected to natural things rather than the endless plastic, paper, and play-dough resources that had prevailed in the room. They have done this in really cool ways, I think,using natural weave containers rather than plastic bins, they have a wall hanging of New Zealand made out of shells, various lettering created by shells, beach wood and feathers, they have tactile containers of such natural artifacts the children can handle, and draw, and trace around and do rubbings off, Mobiles from natural artifacts picked up from the bush and beach environments... Etc.

If this Leave No Trace principle is followed by my creche as it reads "leave rocks, shells, plants, feathers, fossils, artefacts and other objects of interest as we find them", then that stuff wouldn't be in the creche, and they would have plastic bins, plastic covered pictures on the walls, and $2 shop mobiles...

The quote of Maori origin, probably answers my question, in that Maori exploited the natural resources of their environment in a way of massive impact reshaping the fauna and forests of the country, so if that is what is meant by "share without touching", "taking but but not destroying" then "leave what you find" can be interpreted fairly liberally. Is that right? If that's the case it's not really a principle at all...

Keen to hear your thoughts on this.