Description

Refining the Definition of Wilderness

Refining the definition of Wilderness: Safeguarding the experiential and ecological values of remote natural land  was published in 2018 by the Bob Brown Foundation with the support of the Tasmanian National Parks Association.

The authors, Martin Hawes, Grant Dixon and Chris Bell, are concerned that the lack of consensus on how wilderness should be defined weakens the basis for effectively managing wilderness and for protecting the full range of its associated values. Wilderness is much more than just natural country. A major concern is that, while many definitions encompass ecological values,  few acknowledge the significance of remoteness, a factor they argue is strongly linked to the experiential values of wilderness.

After examining the implications of various approaches to defining wilderness, the authors list desirable criteria for a definition, recommend a definition of wilderness that addresses some of the deficiencies of existing definitions, and goes some way towards resolving the disparities between them. They argue that a remoteness-based approach is the most practical way to design wilderness reserves to protect the full range of values that are associated with wilderness.