I would appreciate an explanation of why it does not matter.
If I own some land with a lake on it and you own some land where waterfowl like to nest because of that lake. And, if I drain that lake thereby driving all your waterfowl to nest elsewhere, that's too bad. You can't tell me that I have to leave the lake intact just because it will change the wildlife on your land. It's my lake. I own it. Therefore, I have complete control over it. Your rights don't extend over into my rights. If the situation were reversed, you would have the same right to keep or destroy your lake and I would simply have to deal with the consequences.
I could say a lot on what you've just said, and perhaps I will, but I'm limited on time right now. I would like to point out however that you are not really addressing edge effects at all in your lake example. You may consult wikipedia if you wish. I will look the other way and believe your claim that you've known all along what edge effects are. Here's a hint: discontinuity.