Leave no trace seems counter-intuitive to life.

I think a more appropriate phrase would be "try to limit your impact within reason".

Nature is not static, and the forces of nature wreak havoc on the environment often in far worse ways than we puny humans.

I prefer the notion of frugal, considerate, and ethical. Then it is just varying degrees, from one extreme to another perhaps. One guy goes through the woods leaving nary a footprint, another builds a house that stands for over 80 years. Nowhere in that range would I include a dump site.