Wilderness Creation

The creation of wilderness of adequate size and incorporating a sufficient variety of natural environments will not be easy. Existing wilderness is under threat throughout the world.

Where and how do we locate these envisioned wildernesses? What are the obstacles? What do we need to do to maximize the probability of success? The following are some thoughts on these issues.

Strategy

Each wilderness will be large enough to enable all wild inhabitants (with emphasis on megafauna) to thrive and evolve in a natural fashion. They will be connected by corridors that minimize the potential of future extinctions associated with too small, isolated 'islands' of wilderness.

The envisioned wilderness will coexist harmoniously with lands where the human imprint is strong. These wilderness lands will provide contact with nature. They will help ensure the survival of endangered species. They will restore the richness of the natural environment prior to the local extinction of so many key species. Lastly, for a future space faring humanity in our envisioned 2200, they will provide ecological foundations for a variety of environments on other worlds.

Wilderness Design

Envisioned wilderness may be designed based on the following:

Location Facters - Some potential factors affecting location include:

Existing wilderness - wilderness still exists within potential boundaries at the beginning of the 21st century,
Size - large enough in size to support a viable wildlife population and not be significantly impacted by the 'island' syndrome,
Linkages - may be linked with other potential wilderness areas,
Government land - significant proportion of land currently under government administration,
Ecological variety - variety of natural ecologies within particular area or in conjunction with linked nearby lands,
Sparsely populated - relatively low human population at the beginning of the 21st century,
Economy - dependent on tourist or recreational activities, and
Marginal employment opportunities - likely to be subject to an out migration in search of economic opportunities elsewhere especially if the 'new frontiers' discussed below comes into existence. (Evidence of such a factor can be found in the presence of stone walls deep in the New England forest regions of North America)

Meld with the Land - Wilderness lands should integrate with surrounding lands. Not be obviously walled off from human communities. Technological improvements should be incorporated to minimize conflicts with farmers and ranchers. Boundaries should employ natural barriers, such as ridge lines and deep canyons, wherever feasible.

Restoration where Required - Formation of wilderness areas of sufficient size to support a viable ecology of wildlife species and containing a variety of natural landscapes will be impossible without the reclaiming or restoration of lands substantially impacted by the hand of man. There is evidence that such reclaiming of nature is feasible even in the most ruinous of landscapes.

Ecological richness - The lands themselves should not focus on monumental landscapes, but include as well; bottom lands, rivers, marshes, rich soils and coast lines which will optimize the variety and health of the resident wildlife population. Connecting corridors between wildernesses should follow natural pathways that wildlife might traverse and not be so narrow that they become carnivore feeding troughs.

Internal transportation routes - Given the time line of 2200 and the assumption that population pressures would have eased given the presence of new frontiers off-planet, permanent human habitation within the boundaries should be minimal. Nevertheless, some two lane paved roads are expected within the boundaries to provide access (1) to developed areas that are effectively islands within the wilderness boundaries (agriculture and/or villages may exist within a wilderness), (2) for scientists, managers and rangers, and (3) for tourists.

Major Transportation Corridors - Super highways and mass transit that are part of the main planetary transportation corridors may cross wilderness lands using a combination of long bridges, aerial structures and tunnels. Design of these corridors should minimize barriers to wild animal movement.

Flexibility - Boundaries of envisioned wilderness lands may be altered based on new information received regarding the ecology and natural landscape.

Rich

In wealthy industrial societies, one of the greatest obstacles to the creation of large and contiguous wilderness areas is the rich. Whether it be that large suburban home on multiple acres or the second home in the mountains, natural areas are being eaten up at an alarming rate by development aimed at the affluent in society.

One telltale indicator is the rate rural land is being developed in the northeastern United States and Appalachia where population growth has been relatively small. The culprit appears to be the large lot development favored there in contrast to the smaller lots favored in the faster growing Pacific Coast states.

A solution would be better planning that guided development into a few clusters of growth containing smaller individual lots and located in areas less damaging to the natural landscape.

Poor

So long as as there a large numbers of poor among us on earth, especially in less developed societies, wilderness, whether official or not, will remain under siege. No future will include secure ecologically rich wilderness lands unless multiple opportunities are available for the poor. Without such opportunities, the wilderness will be seen as little more than a source of 'bushmeat' for families living at the edge of existence.

These opportunities may be through (a) decent jobs created by a vibrant economy, (b) a free enterprise system that is truly for the creative and hard working, not just the well-connected or corrupt, or (c) a new frontier in space. Whatever its source or sources, such opportunities must be real both in appearance and actuality.

New Frontier

So long as human pressures on remaining natural areas continue to increase, wilderness lands are unlikely to be established with an adequate size or resist degradation from human intrusion unless the pressure is released.

The frontier provides such a release through;

Escape - It provides antisocial people a place to escape and minimizes those persons' adverse impacts on others.
Creative Individualists - It gives certain individuals a place to exercise creative energies that would probably be seen as disruptive to the social fabric in a more urban setting.
Place of Hope - Probably most important, it has historically provided a place of hope for the poor, despised, and 'down and out' among us.

Without an actual new frontier beyond earth, wilderness lands would be the earthly frontier. Based on current experience, tremendous effort is likely to be spent in defense of wilderness lands from human incursion. The ultimate result is unlikely to be favorable to the natural environment.

Success for wilderness on earth requires the equal success of man's effort to reach out into outer space and settle new worlds. Without such new worlds to serve as new homes for humanity, successful creation and maintenance of wilderness on earth seems less likely.