Hmm, that's an interesting sense of utility. From an existential perspective, I suspect that all utility is illusory in that no matter what we produce, it will be wiped away eventually to make room for something else. So utility is provisional. In light of this absurdity of life, then, I'm not sure pragmatists should have the final say about what's of value. Maybe creativity counts for more than maximizing utility. Humans are arguably the most creative, imaginative, and ambitious species.

But I take your point that we depend on plenty of bedrock species such as plants, and on the natural ecosystems in general.