University of Tasmania
Browse

File(s) under permanent embargo

Wilderness law in the Anthropocene: pragmatism and purism

Version 2 2024-09-18, 23:29
Version 1 2023-05-21, 01:18
journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-21, 01:18 authored by Phillipa McCormackPhillipa McCormack, Benjamin RichardsonBenjamin Richardson, Takacs, D, Bastmeijer, K
Wilderness is vanishing. Despite explicit legislative protection of wilderness values for over half a century, rapid environmental degradation worldwide in recent decades has severely diminished the extent and quality of terrestrial and marine wilderness to the point where we must reassess the fundamental premises and future of wilderness law. With increased human demands on the natural world, and with climate breakdown looming, the very notion of "wilderness" itself may one day be considered meaningless or irrelevant. We examine legal developments in the United States, Australia, and Europe to critically evaluate the state of wilderness law. In this Anthropocene era, when humans control so much of Earth’s resources, we examine whether the law should aim for a "purist" approach, in which wilderness areas are simply left untouched, or a "pragmatic" approach, in which wilderness is actively managed to maintain its cherished values in the face of mounting adversity. A variety of intermediary positions are conceivable between these endpoints, and the best approach to wilderness management will likely depend on several considerations including who or what "wilderness" is meant to serve, the geographic and biological features of the landscape, environmental threats the area faces, the presence of Indigenous or other local communities, and the values that the guiding law means to serve. We offer recommendations to improve wilderness law to navigate the Anthropocene. We suggest proceeding with care and humility, staying as close to purism as possible, while acknowledging that sometimes we must take a pragmatic approach and intervene to preserve the wilderness qualities our laws are designed to protect.

History

Publication title

Environmental Law

Volume

51

Pagination

383-435

ISSN

0046-2276

Department/School

Faculty of Law

Publisher

Lewis & Clark College

Place of publication

United States

Rights statement

Copyright 2021 The Authors

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Other environmental management not elsewhere classified; Government and politics not elsewhere classified

Usage metrics

    University Of Tasmania

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC