The Wilderness Act in an Era of Global Change Gregory H. Aplet Senior Science Director

The Wilderness Act turns 50

Overview A brief wilderness history The essence of wilderness Implications of global change A strategy for sustaining wilderness values

The Early Years – Recreation and Ecological Condition John Muir Aldo Leopold Bob Marshall Victor Shelford “By ‘wilderness’ I mean a continuous stretch of country preserved in its natural state, open to lawful hunting and fishing, big enough to absorb a two weeks’ pack trip, and kept devoid of roads, artificial trails, cottages, or other works of man.” Aldo Leopold 1921 The Wilderness and Its Place in Forest Recreational Policy

The Post-War Years – Humility and Freedom from Control David Brower Howard Zahniser Wallace Stegner “We must never forget, we are guardians, not gardeners” Howard Zahniser 1963 The Living Wilderness

The Wilderness Act – 1964

The Wilderness Act Defined wilderness and established the National Wilderness Preservation System Established a process for adding to the system Described limitations on use Established exceptions to limitations

The essence of wilderness From Section 2(c) of the Wilderness Act:  A wilderness…is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain. An area of wilderness is further defined to mean in the Act 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…generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature…

The essence of wilderness Earth and its community of life Primeval character Natural conditions = Ecological condition (Wholeness or “historical fidelity”) Untrammeled by man Primeval influence Affected primarily by the forces of nature = Freedom from human control

Ecological Condition Freedom from Control Novel Pristine Controlled “Self-willed” Arctic Refuge Downtown Curtis Prairie C&O Canal Vacant Lot Pine Plantation Chesapeake Bay Everglades Fire-excluded Ponderosa Pine Forest Dimensions of Wildness

Recovery Transformation Drift Restoration Ecological Condition Freedom from Control Controlled “Self-willed” Novel Pristine “Directions” of Management

The Ideal of Wilderness Restoration

Growth of the System

Enter Global Change Invasive species Atmospheric deposition Habitat fragmentation and land use change Climate change

Recovery Guide Change Accept Change Resist Change Ecological Condition Freedom from Control Controlled “Self-willed” Novel Pristine Global Change: The End of Recovery? Pressure of Global Change: Warming Invasives Fragmentation

Choices in the face of climate change Accept change:Observation only Resist change:Restoration Guide change:Innovation and experimentation

Certain Uncertainty “We might feel confident of broad-scale future environmental changes (such as global mean temperature increases), but we cannot routinely predict even the direction of change at local and regional scales (such as increasing or decreasing precipitation).” Millar et al. (2007)

What to do? “Managing in the face of uncertainty will require a portfolio of approaches, including short-term and long-term strategies, that focus on enhancing ecosystem resistance and resilience…as climates and environments continue to shift.” Millar et al. (2007) “A portfolio of adaptation and mitigation measures can diminish the risks associated with climate change.” IPCC Adaptation Report

An Experimental Landscape Approach Observation only in some places (both treatment and control) Restoration in some places (“Keeping all the parts”) Innovation in some places (novel conservation) Integrated across the landscape in a cohesive experiment

Principles of Allocation Representation Connectivity across gradients Configuration

An illustration

The Benefits of an Observation Only Approach Deepening respect for nature’s autonomy Fostering scientific humility Sustaining non-focal species Reducing unintended adverse consequences Providing unmanipulated benchmarks Preserving options and hedging risk From: “Let It Be: A Hands-Off Approach to Preserving Wildness in Protected Areas” by Peter Landres, USFS

Real Life Example: Hawaiian Ahupua’a “In different places, in different chunks, we can manage nature for different ends—for historical restoration, for species preservation, for self-willed wildness, for ecosystem services, for food and fiber and fish and flame trees and frogs.” – Emma Marris