The Wilderness Continuum and its practical implications for wilderness protection

Steve CarverDirector, Wildland Research Institute

Outline

• Wilderness and the continuum concept

• Approaches to mapping• Patterns and distribution of

wilderness– Environmental gradients– Scaling issues

• Informing decisions

Defining wilderness

“Wordle” based on European, US and Australian wilderness definitions

SCALE!Challenging

Solitude

Natural processes

Flora & fauna

Remoteness

Lack of human influence

Nature and landscape

• Two views of wild(er)ness...– Biophysical/ecological wild– Perceived/aesthetic wild

• Influence how we map the wilderness continuum– Choice of attributes– Need for proxy variables

Australian National Wilderness Inventory (after Lesslie and Maslen, 1993)

Global wilderness continuum (after Lesslie, 2000)

European wilderness indicator (after Kuiters et al, 2014)

UK wilderness continuum (after JMT, 2010)

Scotland wilderness continuum (after SNH, 2011)

Cairngorms National Park wilderness continuum(after Carver et al, 2010)

Austrian wilderness continuum (after Plutzar, 2013)

Single vs multi-attribute models

• Single variable models: – Roadless areas

• Multiple variable models:– Remoteness

(settlement, roads, accessibility)

– Naturalness (land cover, lack of human features)

Weighting issues?CompositeDifferenceCore areas

• Different priorities?• Example: Scotland

Poselství from Prague12. Finalisation of a definition of wilderness and wild areas, taking into account

the globally agreed definitions, criteria and characteristics and the continuum of natural habitats and ecological processes, the range of ecological and cultural interpretations of these terms and their application in different parts of Europe.

13. Compilation of a Register of Wilderness using existing databases, such as the EEA and WDPA, identifying in tandem with appropriate interested parties the remaining areas of wilderness and wildlands, the threats and opportunities related to these, and their economic values, with practical recommendations for action.

14. Completion of mapping wilderness and wildland areas in Europe, involving appropriate definitional and habitat criteria and level of scale to effectively support plans for protecting and monitoring such areas.

15. Identification of key opportunities for prospective restoration of wild natural habitats and processes, involving mapping, biodiversity design and benefit assessment for relevant parties including local landholders and communities.

Participatory exercise!

Informing decisions

• Development control• Designation• Identification of

boundaries• Zonation• Protection measures• Connectivity• Targeted rewilding

Iceland:Fewer protected areasLots of wildernessMostly undesignatedMuch opportunity for extended designation

Northern Scandinavia:Many protected areasLots of wildernessSome protected, some unprotectedOpportunity for extended designation

Scotland:Many Natura 2000 areasSome wild landSome protected, some unprotectedOpportunity for further protection

BENELUX countries:Many protected areasNo wilderness (except marine)Only marine wilderness protectedMain focus on rewilding

Conclusions

• Use GEOGRAPHY as basis for informed decision-making

• Ways forward for European WQI– Identifying wilderness areas in need of protection,

improvement and expansion– Use WQI as the basis for improved connectivity– Intelligent targeting of rewilding activities

Improve

Expand

Create

Connect

Any Questions?