What is wilderness

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What is wilderness?
Course website
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What is wilderness?

• Untouched by modern humans

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What is wilderness?

• Untouched by modern humans
• Whatever people think it is

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What is wilderness?

• Untouched by modern humans
• Whatever people think it is
• De facto wilderness

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What is wilderness?

• Untouched by modern humans
• Whatever people think it is
• De facto wilderness
• Legal wilderness

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. . . wilderness ... an area where the earth and
its community of life are untrammeled by man,
where man himself is a visitor who does not
remain.
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... wilderness ... generally appears to have been
affected primarily by the forces of nature, with
the imprint of mans work substantially
unnoticeable ... (Emphasis added.)
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Decreasing Marginal Utility
value per unit
number of units
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Decreasing Marginal Utility
wilderness farm
value per unit
number of units
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Decreasing Marginal Utility
wilderness farms cities etc.
value per unit
number of units
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Other Factors
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Other Factors

• safety

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Other Factors

• safety
• leisure

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Other Factors

• safety
• leisure
• wealth

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Other Factors

• safety
• leisure
• wealth
• mobility

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Wilderness Themes (see text)

• experiential
• scientific
• symbolic and spiritual
• economic

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• Anthropocentric vs. Biocentric
• Anthropocentric - benefits people

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• Anthropocentric vs. Biocentric
• Anthropocentric - benefits people
• Biocentric - benefits biological systems

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• What is nature?
• Conditions without modern
• impacts

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• What is nature?
• Conditions without modern
• impacts
• Natural forces and processes

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What species is making the decisions that cause
massive change?
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What species is making the decisions that cause
massive change? We have met the enemy and he is
us -- Pogo
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We (humans) are in charge. Need enlightened,
long-term self-interest I, am driven to an
anthropocentric point of view You, must figure
out what you find you can believe