Lecture 2 GEOG3320 – Management of Wilderness Environments 1

The importance of wilderness and wildland

Lecture outline:

experiencing wilderness wilderness values wilderness and sustainability seminar: why is wilderness necessary

for global survival?

Lecture 2 GEOG3320 – Management of Wilderness Environments 2

1. Experiencing wilderness

Wilderness as:- a state of (wild) nature?

• Ecological definitions• Socio-psychological definitions

- a state of mind?

- an experience?“Wilderness is what men think it is.” (Nash,

1982)“One man’s wilderness is another’s roadside

picnic ground.” (Nash, 1982)

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2. Wilderness values

Multiple values ascribed to wilderness- Natural

• ecosystems• wildlife habitat

- Scientific• gene pool• natural laboratory

- Sociological• recreation• psychological

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“I had trouble deciding on where the wildest place I have ever been is, since the wildest place

and what felt like the wildest place may necessarily not coincide. I eventually decided to

opt in favour of the latter, as it was a more interesting experience!”

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“..the island is not very big but there was still a sense of remoteness at times and being in certain

parts of the landscape could still make you feel very small and insignificant.”

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“Looking out and seeing nothing but trees and rocks until the horizon made it feel wild. It is such an enormous area with no human interruption… I remember it being almost silent too, apart from

the sound of a few birds and other wildlife.”

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“…being out in a wilderness has a certain satisfaction about it. It gives you a chance to get some fresh air and helps to relieve some of the stress of living in modern

civilisation.”

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“Compared to the U.K. the area was a wilderness; there were no roads, footpaths or houses to be seen during the six weeks, if we needed to be

rescued it could take days or even weeks, and the fact that a riffle needed to be carried around with party in order to ensure our safety against wild

animals all added to the wilderness experience.”

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“I think that Rannoch Moor has shaped my idea of wilderness as being a place where I am completely

alone and very vulnerable to what nature can throw at me, also being a place where you can see no refuge or way out makes it feel very desolate.”

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Preservation on the basis of value- many wilderness values based on use

- e.g. US Wilderness Act (1964) that wilderness is to be preserved for the...

“use and enjoyment as wilderness... (by) the American people of present and future generations.”

- “Anthropocentric” view

- most threats to wilderness from human use

- need to understand wilderness use in order to manage effectively

2. Wilderness values (cont’d)

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Types of use:- many types of wilderness use

- variety of use reflects variety of values

- varying dependence

Problem:- how measure degree of wilderness

dependency?

- subjective

2. Wilderness values (cont’d)

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Categories of wilderness use:- recreational

- commercial

- scientific

- educational

- therapeutic/developmental

2. Wilderness values (cont’d)

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Recreational use- Most obvious and common

- Greatest impact

- Greatest management challenge

- Wilderness recreational activities:• hiking and horse riding• river trips• mountaineering• ski touring• hunting and fishing

2. Wilderness values (cont’d)

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Impact varies with group size Sub-categories of recreational

activities:- public

- commercial

- indirect

Most peoples experience is indirect

2. Wilderness values (cont’d)

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Indirect recreational use- Second-hand enjoyment through:

• TV programmes and films• reading material and lectures• staying at resorts near to wilderness

- 3 associated wilderness values:1. option value (option to visit)2. existence value (knowing its out there!)3. bequest value (saving it for out children)

2. Wilderness values (cont’d)

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Clawson (1963) - more to the wilderness experience than just being there

Phases of wilderness experience:- planning and anticipation

- travel to wilderness (outbound)

- being there

- travel from wilderness (the return home)

- recollection (memories)

2. Wilderness values (cont’d)

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Scientific use- Wilderness as a laboratory offering natural

and unmodified conditions

- Increasing importance with shrinking wilderness areas

- Wilderness dependent

- Examples:• pollution monitoring• predator-prey relations• global environmental change

2. Wilderness values (cont’d)

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Educational use- Wilderness often used for education:

• field trips• study areas for theses/dissertations• source of instructional examples

- Specialist courses teaching wilderness skills and values

• NOLS in USA• Outward Bound in UK

2. Wilderness values (cont’d)

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Commercial use- Commercial uses include:

• mining and oil/gas • logging• water developments• livestock grazing• recreational developments

- Limited in number

- Zero (mostly) wilderness dependency

2. Wilderness values (cont’d)

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Therapeutic/developmental use- Wilderness setting for therapeutic and

personal development programmes

- Deliquents and mentally ill (supposedly) benefit from such programmes:

• relief from everyday stresses• group support and independence

- Normal healthy people also benefit:• personal development and self discovery• self reliance and personal awareness

2. Wilderness values (cont’d)

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Thought:

What about wilderness for wilderness’ sake?

i.e. a “biocentric” view

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3. Wilderness and sustainability

Uneven distribution of wilderness- spatial pattern and scale

- maps

Scarce resources need protection Protection requires management Wilderness management is COMPLEX Many problems - many potential

solutions- compatibility issues

- depending on geographical context and institutional setting

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13 principles of wilderness management1. Manage as one environmental extreme2. Manage as a composite resource3. Manage under a non degradation concept4. Set carrying capacities to prevent unnatural change5. Manage in co-ordination with adjacent lands6. Apply only minimum tools to achieve objectives7. Focus on threatened sites/damaging activities8. Involve the public in all stages9. Manage users rather than the environment10. Manage to produce environmental and human benefits11. Favour wilderness dependent activities12. Guide management with written plans13. Monitor to evaluate effectiveness of actions

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3. Wilderness and sustainability (cont’d)

The “Management Paradox”- To manage or not to manage?

• let nature take its course• or ‘play’ at nature

- Risk of degradation vs loss of true wilderness

- Paradox:• don’t manage - loose wilderness• manage - loose wilderness

- Compromise required

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Question:

What is the answer to the management paradox?

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Sustainable use and/or sustainable development?- sustainable use of the wilderness resource

• appropriate/careful management within carrying capacities

• non-degradation principle• in co-ordination with adjacent lands• using minimum intervention tools• favour wilderness dependent activities

- development of new habitats/wildlands• “Re-wilding” or habitat re-creation• E.g. The Wildlands Projecthttp://www.wildlandsprojectrevealed.org/

3. Wilderness and sustainability (cont’d)

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Thought:OK, but why do we NEED

wilderness?

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Reading

Hendee et al (1990) Wilderness management. Fulcrum Publishing, Colorado. [esp. Chapters 3-5, 14-16]

Brockman, F & Merriam, L.C (1973) Recreational use of wildlands. McGraw-Hill, New York.

Hampton, B & Cole, D (1988) Soft paths. Stackpole Books.

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Workshop

“In wildness is the preservation of the world”

Henry David Thoreau

Discussion: Why is wilderness necessary for global survival?

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Task

Research and example of a wilderness ecosystem- Search the web for:

• Web site focusing on example of wilderness ecosystem (e.g. deserts, mountains, polar, marine, etc.)

- Think about the following:• what makes that particular ecosystem ‘wild’• how does it differ from human

dominated/modified systems?• what are the key processes, relationships or

trends that make it interesting?

- Submit web link in email by Monday

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Next week...

3. Wilderness ecosystems What: flora and fauna Where: biogeographical zones and

ecosystem mosaics Processes: cycles, pyramids and

relationships Trends: extinctions, re-introductions

and climate change Workshop: Guest lecture by Mark

Fisher, Self-Willed Land