Wilderness

White Goat Wilderness Area in Canadian Rockies, Canada
Stephen Mather Wilderness in the U.S. state of Washington
Innoko Wilderness in the U.S. state of Alaska in the summer

Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural) are Earth's natural environments that have not been significantly modified by human activity, or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation.[1][2] The term has traditionally referred to terrestrial environments, though growing attention is being placed on marine wilderness. Recent maps of wilderness[3] suggest it covers roughly one-quarter of Earth's terrestrial surface, but is being rapidly degraded by human activity.[4] Even less wilderness remains in the ocean, with only 13.2% free from intense human activity.[5]

Some governments establish protection for wilderness areas by law to not only preserve what already exists, but also to promote and advance a natural expression and development. These can be set up in preserves, conservation preserves, national forests, national parks and even in urban areas along rivers, gulches or otherwise undeveloped areas. Often these areas are considered important for the survival of certain species, biodiversity, ecological studies, conservation, solitude and recreation.[6] They may also preserve historic genetic traits and provide habitat for wild flora and fauna that may be difficult to recreate in zoos, arboretums or laboratories.

  1. ^ "Glossary". National Weather Service. Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  2. ^ "What is a Wilderness Area". WILD Foundation. Archived from the original on 4 December 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2009.
  3. ^ Allan, James R.; Venter, Oscar; Watson, James E. M. (12 December 2017). "Temporally inter-comparable maps of terrestrial wilderness and the Last of the Wild". Scientific Data. 4 (1): 170187. Bibcode:2017NatSD...470187A. doi:10.1038/sdata.2017.187. PMC 5726312. PMID 29231923.
  4. ^ Watson, James E.M.; Shanahan, Danielle F.; Di Marco, Moreno; Allan, James; Laurance, William F.; Sanderson, Eric W.; Mackey, Brendan; Venter, Oscar (November 2016). "Catastrophic Declines in Wilderness Areas Undermine Global Environment Targets". Current Biology. 26 (21): 2929–2934. Bibcode:2016CBio...26.2929W. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2016.08.049. PMID 27618267.
  5. ^ Jones, Kendall R.; Klein, Carissa J.; Halpern, Benjamin S.; Venter, Oscar; Grantham, Hedley; Kuempel, Caitlin D.; Shumway, Nicole; Friedlander, Alan M.; Possingham, Hugh P.; Watson, James E. M. (August 2018). "The Location and Protection Status of Earth's Diminishing Marine Wilderness". Current Biology. 28 (15): 2506–2512.e3. Bibcode:2018CBio...28E2506J. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2018.06.010. PMID 30057308.
  6. ^ Botkin, Daniel B. No Man's Garden. pp. 155–157.

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