Wilderness environments = unspoilt and remote regions of the world
○ Include:
■ Truly isolated regions (eg/ Antarctica)
■ Populated areas that retain some wilderness characteristics (eg/ tundra)
● Extreme climate and inaccessibility keep mass tourism and economic development at bay
● Modern transport gives access to previously inaccessible areas
○ Travel companies keen to market new locations
○ Energy and mining companies keen to discover new natural resources
Reasons for protection:
● There is a planet-wide need to maintain gene pool and genetic diversity of wild organisms
● Scientists need access to undisturbed animal/plant communities for their studies
● Some places on Earth should be left wild so we can understand how much developed places have changed
● Wilderness areas perform vital ecosystem services
○ White snow/ice cover polar regions and reflect sunlight → helps regulate Earth’s temperatures
○ Permafrost keeps large volumes of methane locked in ice
■ Would contribute significantly to global warming if released
● Tundra is also a fragile environment → is in need of special protection
○ Extreme climates give rise to very sensitive physical environments
○ Slow growth of tundra plants means that it takes many years for ecosystems to recover after damage
Threat to wilderness cultures:
● Wilderness is threatened by economic development
○ Cultural erosion can occur due to tourism and in-migration
○ Outside influences may cause a culture to lose its unique characteristics (eg/ language)
■ In the past , 20 native languages were spoken in Alaska
● European languages have been adopted by youngest generation of tribes
● Native names have now been replaced by English names
● Life in challenging environments has evolved overtime
○ Practices born in hardships have become treasured traditions (eg/ eating rotten shark in Iceland)
○ Protecting traditional cultures can conflict with efforts to protect wildlife
■ eg/ 2008 → US Supreme court made polar bears an endangered species
● The Inupiat people gain income when acting as tour guides for tourists who wish to
“bag a bear” → kill them by hunting
Managing the Antarctic wilderness:
● 1917 → public awareness of Antarctic wilderness began to develop
● 1961 → several leading nations signed the Antarctic Treaty
○ One of the most successful international agreements of all time
● 1998 → Protocol on Environment Protection to the Antarctic Treaty signed
○ One of the toughest sets of rules for any environment
■ No new activities allowed until potential impacts have been assessed/minimised
■ Tourist boat operators taking visitors have to follow incredibly strict guidelines
There has still been a growth in tourism in Antarctica
○ Number of tourists tripled between 2000 and 2010
○ Western tour operators charge up to £10, 000 per person for an Antarctic excursion