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Roadless Areas: a potential tool to define European Wilderness Areas
Nuria Selva, Stefan Kreft, Vassiliki Kati, Bengt-Gunnar Jonsson, Pierre L. Ibisch
Policy Committee- SCB Europe Section
Institute of Nature Conservation (Poland), Centre for Econics and Ecosystem Management, Eberswalde (Germany), University of Ioannina (Greece), Dpt of Natural Sciences, Engineering & Mathematics (Sweden)
“The tragic paradox of the white
man’s encroachment. The deeper
he went into Africa, the faster life
flowed out of it, off the plains, and
out of bush and into the cities”
Peter Beard “The end of the game” 1965
Initiatives at the policy level - 2009
Ecosystem services Conservation value Climate change Sustainable use
Uncultivated
Uninhabited
Undisturbed
Empty
Pathless
Remote
Abandoned
Unsettled
Wilderness definition
Natural areas
No noise
No light pollution
Abundant wildlife
Diverse
A wilderness is an area of undeveloped Federal land retaining its primeval character and influence, without permanent improvements or human habitation, which is protected and managed so as to preserve its natural conditions and which
1) generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the imprint of man's work substantially unnoticeable;
2) has outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation;
3) has at least five thousand acres of land or is of sufficient size as to make practicable its preservation and use in an unimpaired condition; and
4) may also contain ecological, geological, or other features of scientific, educational, scenic, or historical value.
What is Wilderness?
o Not (significantly) modified by human activities
o Natural habitat
o Large enough
o Ecosystem services
Roadless and low-traffic areas
Roadless Areas – biodiversity conservation
• Preservation of native biodiversity
• Barrier against invasive species
• Preservation of genetic resources
• Maintenance of ecosystem connectivity and integrity
• Ensure habitat for viability of populations
• Provide migration corridors and stopovers
Roadless Areas – ecosystem services
• Water regulation and supply
• Erosion control
• Air quality
• Climate regulation
• Disease control (e.g. Lyme disease)
• Pollination of crops
• High resilience to pest outbreak
•Recreation
Roadless Areas – climate change
• High resilience and buffering capacity
• Protection against catastrophic events
(e.g. fires, landslides, floods)
• Carbon sequestration and decrease of
greenhouse gases effects
Roadless Areas Initiative- Rio+20 Conference
http://earthengine.google.org
this proof-of-concept global map displays in a green-gradient all areas of land that are more than one (or 10) kilometer from the nearest road, rail or navigable waterway.
Roadless and low-traffic areas are a proxy for relatively
undisturbed areas
Roadlessness is an essential component of wilderness
Criteria and thresholds being developed
Which size? Which habitat? Which roads and traffic? Which ecoregion? Which shape?
Conclusions