Wilderness

Wild lands are places where people do not live.

Most of these lands are on the ground. Some are in the big ocean, too.

Some leaders make laws to keep these lands safe. They do this to help plants and animals live. These areas can be big forests or parks.

People like to visit these places to play. They can climb mountains or go on rivers.

It is fun to see nature.

We must be careful with our air. Dirty air from cities can blow into wild lands. This can hurt the plants and animals there. We want to keep the wild places clean and healthy.

Wilderness refers to natural places on Earth.

These lands are not changed much by people. Most wilderness is on land. About one-quarter of Earth's land is wild. Very little of the ocean is wild. Only 13.2% of the ocean is free from human activity.

Many people think wilderness is a place to enjoy. They go there to climb mountains or raft on rivers. Some governments make laws to protect these areas. They use national parks or forests to keep them safe. This helps plants and animals survive.

It also helps people find peace and quiet.

In the past, people felt differently about wild lands. Some thought they were scary or bad. In the 1800s, people began to see their beauty. Artists painted mountains and rivers to show this. Later, groups like the World Wildlife Fund formed to help.

Today, we know all lands are connected. Even air pollution from cities can reach a park. We must work to keep these places healthy.

Wilderness refers to the natural environments of Earth.

These are lands that humans have not changed much. Most wilderness is found on land rather than in the sea. Recent maps suggest that one-quarter of Earth's land is wilderness. However, humans are changing these areas very quickly. Even less wilderness remains in our oceans. Only 13.2% of the ocean is free from intense human activity. Governments create laws to protect these special places. They use national parks or forests to keep nature safe.

These areas help plants and animals survive in their natural homes.

Protecting wilderness helps many different things happen. These areas can help certain species stay alive. They also allow for important ecological studies. People visit wilderness to find solitude and recreation. These lands can even save historic genetic traits. They provide a home for wild plants and animals.

It is often hard to recreate these living things in zoos or labs. Some governments set up preserves or conservation preserves. They might even protect rivers in urban areas. This way, nature can grow and develop on its own. It keeps the natural world working just as it should.

People have viewed wild lands differently throughout history. In the Tang Dynasty, Chinese artists painted nature as it really was.

They used a style called Shan shui to paint mountains and rivers. They tried to see nature through the eyes of a bird. In the 3rd century B.C., King Ashoka made the first laws to protect plants and animals. During the Middle Ages, some Kings in England protected land for hunting. However, many people in Europe saw wilderness as a scary or bad place. They thought wild lands were dangerous or even evil. This view changed as time went on.

In the 1800s, people began to see the beauty in the wild.

Artists like John Constable and J. M. W. Turner painted the natural world. The poet William Wordsworth wrote about the wonder of nature. In 1861, France created an artistic reserve in the Fontainebleau State Forest. This area was 1,097 hectares and may be the first nature reserve. Later, the World Wildlife Fund was founded in 1961. In 1964, the United States passed the Wilderness Act. This allowed parts of national forests to become official wilderness preserves. These laws helped turn fear into a desire to protect.

Today, we know that all parts of nature are connected.

You cannot just draw a line around a piece of land to make it wild. What happens outside a wilderness affects what happens inside it. For example, air pollution from Los Angeles can reach Sequoia National Park. Even though the park has miles of wilderness, the air is filled with pollution. This creates a big question about what wilderness really is. We must look at the whole world to keep these places healthy. Protecting the land means looking at how everything works together.

Wilderness refers to Earth's natural environments that remain largely untouched by human activity.

These wildlands are generally defined as nonurbanized areas that lack extensive agricultural cultivation. While the term has traditionally focused on terrestrial environments, there is growing scientific attention toward marine wilderness. Current mapping suggests that wilderness covers roughly one-quarter of the Earth's terrestrial surface. However, these areas face rapid degradation due to human activity. The situation in the ocean is even more critical. Only 13.2% of the marine environment remains free from intense human activity.

Governments protect these areas through various legal mechanisms to ensure natural development.

These protections can take the form of preserves, conservation preserves, national forests, or national parks. Some even include urban areas along rivers or undeveloped gulches. Protecting wilderness serves several vital functions for the planet. It ensures the survival of specific species and maintains biodiversity. These regions also provide essential sites for ecological studies and conservation efforts. Furthermore, wilderness offers humans opportunities for solitude and recreation. These lands preserve historic genetic traits and provide habitats for wild flora and fauna. Such species are often difficult to recreate in controlled environments like zoos, arboretums, or laboratories.

Human perspectives on wildness have shifted dramatically throughout history. During the Tang Dynasty in China, nature became a central subject for visual arts.

Artists practiced a tradition called Shan shui, which translates to "mountain-water-picture." They aimed to depict mountains and rivers from the perspective of nature as a whole. This approach was based on an understanding of the laws of nature. Artists sought to capture scenes as if seen through the eyes of a bird. In the 13th century, Shih Erh Chi even recommended avoiding scenes that lacked places made inaccessible by nature.

Early legal protections for nature also have deep historical roots. The first known laws to protect parts of nature date back to the Babylonian and Chinese Empires. Around the 3rd century B.C., the Mauryan King Ashoka defined the first known laws to protect flora and fauna through the Edicts of Ashoka. In the Middle Ages, English Kings initiated early efforts to protect natural areas. However, their motivation was not environmentalism but the desire to maintain private hunting preserves. They protected wildlife from subsistence hunting and kept villagers from gathering firewood to ensure game remained available. In much of Europe, however, wilderness was viewed negatively as a dangerous and immoral place.

During the era of European colonization, views of the wilderness became even more conflicted.

Many colonists viewed the wilderness as an enemy to be conquered and destroyed. They believed they had to clear trees and transform the land to build "civilized" society. This perspective often ignored the complex relationship Native Americans had with the land. Native Americans used controlled fires to maintain food sources and prevent out-of-control wildfires. These practices shaped the landscapes that colonists later perceived as pristine or empty. This view of the land as something only to be used for human benefit was often rooted in specific religious ideas.

By the 19th century, a profound shift toward valuing the intrinsic beauty of nature occurred.

British artists like John Constable and J. M. W. Turner began capturing the beauty of the natural world in their paintings. Simultaneously, the poet William Wordsworth wrote about the wonder of the natural world. This period saw the rise of the conservation movement. In 1861, the French Waters and Forests Military Agency established an "artistic reserve" in the Fontainebleau State Forest. This area, totaling 1,097 hectares, is thought to be the first nature reserve in the world. In Germany, the concept of "Scientific Conservation" emerged to advocate for the efficient use of resources through science.

Modern conservation efforts became a global priority during the mid-20th century.

Following the dissolution of the British Empire in Africa in the late 1940s, many large wildlife preserves were established. While some were driven by economic interests like big game hunting, they led to a broader recognition of the need for worldwide wildlife conservation. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) was founded in 1961 and became a major global organization. In the United States, the Wilderness Act of 1964 marked a pinnacle in legal protection. It allowed parts of National Forests to be designated as official wilderness preserves. Other laws, such as the 1975 Eastern Wilderness Areas Act, followed this model.

Today, scientists recognize that wilderness is part of a complex, interconnected system.

Simply drawing lines around a piece of land does not guarantee its protection. What happens outside a designated wilderness area directly affects the environment inside it. For example, air pollution from the California Central Valley can reach Sequoia National Park. Even though the park contains miles of wilderness, its air is impacted by outside pollution. This creates a modern paradox regarding what a wilderness truly is. Large-scale projects, such as Canada's Boreal Forest Conservation Framework, now aim to protect massive regions like the 6,000,000 square kilometers of northern boreal forest.