Abstract
The concept of the “wilderness ethic” is at an impasse. Despite calls for action to conserve wilderness, any notion of wilderness thinking still resides outside of most major global environmental policy mechanisms. We posit the wilderness ethic must evolve with haste, to better reflect contemporary conservation framings; that is a “people and nature” focused approach. Only once the central role and rights of people are incorporated into the traditional wilderness ethic, will policy better allow the navigation of pathways towards sustainability.
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Acknowledgements
Comments by Chris Sandbrook, Louise Swemmer, Hemalatha Kamaraj and an anonymous reviewer improved earlier drafts. The inspiration for this paper was found in a bumper sticker reading, “Wilderness only exists in the mind of the greeny”. The Jennifer Ward Oppenheimer Research Grant funds BC.
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Communicated by Peter Bridgewater.
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Coetzee, B.W., Ferriera, S.M. & Smit, I.P. Reimagining the wilderness ethic to include “people and nature”. Biodivers Conserv 31, 2893–2898 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-022-02452-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-022-02452-3