The author argued that the colonists didn't appreciate nor be grateful for the land but instead took it and its people for granted and did what they saw fit with the land (and sadly even the people). They thought of it as a possession that existed for their needs as quoted by: "As heirs to the biblical tradition, we believed that the planet belonged to us. We never understood that this continent had its own laws that needed to be obeyed..." That manner of cruel thinking is predatorial as "seeking to exploit or oppress others" is one of the definitions of predatory.