Abstract
Original language | English |
---|---|
Title of host publication | Mapping wilderness |
Subtitle of host publication | Concepts, techniques and applications |
Editors | Steffen Fritz, Stephen Carver |
Place of Publication | Dordrecht |
Publisher | Springer |
Pages | 117-136 |
Number of pages | 20 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 978-94-017-7399-7 |
ISBN (Print) | 978-94-017-7397-3 |
Publication status | Published - 2016 |
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Keywords
- wilderness
- wilderness protection
- wilderness law
- human-nature relationship
- mapping wilderness
- GIS
- nature conservation
- nature conservation law
- biodiversity
- accumulative impacts
- naturalness
- ecosystems
Cite this
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Addressing weak legal protection of wilderness : Deliberate choices and drawing lines on the map. / Bastmeijer, Kees.
Mapping wilderness: Concepts, techniques and applications. ed. / Steffen Fritz; Stephen Carver. Dordrecht : Springer, 2016. p. 117-136.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › Scientific
TY - CHAP
T1 - Addressing weak legal protection of wilderness
T2 - Deliberate choices and drawing lines on the map
AU - Bastmeijer, Kees
PY - 2016
Y1 - 2016
N2 - Wilderness areas are characterized by a relatively high degree of naturalness, the absence of proof of modern human society (e.g., roads, buildings, bridges, motorized transportation) and a relatively large size (IUCN 2008). Worldwide, wilderness areas are becoming more scarce and this article focuses on the role of law in protecting such areas. The discussion starts with an analysis of the historic human-nature attitude in Western society and how this attitude has influenced legal concepts regarding private property on land and territorial sovereignty. It will be shown that these concepts have stimulated active land transformation by humankind and that (as a consequence) wilderness protection is not embedded in our Western legal roots. Next, the discussion focuses on the response to the increasing awareness of the downside of modern human civilization: a changing human-nature attitude in the Nineteenth Century and the adoption of a large number of international nature protection conventions in the Twentieth Century. However, all this ‘law making’ has not resulted in comprehensive wilderness protection at the global or regional level, which may be explained by a number of important weaknesses in these conventions and their implementation. Probably, many of these weaknesses have much to do with weaknesses of humankind itself, such as the difficulty to accept limitations to our social and economic ambitions and our disability to deal with accumulative impacts. Against the background of these discussions, the final part of this chapter discusses options for strengthening wilderness protection with an emphasis on the importance of making deliberate policy choices to protect wilderness.
AB - Wilderness areas are characterized by a relatively high degree of naturalness, the absence of proof of modern human society (e.g., roads, buildings, bridges, motorized transportation) and a relatively large size (IUCN 2008). Worldwide, wilderness areas are becoming more scarce and this article focuses on the role of law in protecting such areas. The discussion starts with an analysis of the historic human-nature attitude in Western society and how this attitude has influenced legal concepts regarding private property on land and territorial sovereignty. It will be shown that these concepts have stimulated active land transformation by humankind and that (as a consequence) wilderness protection is not embedded in our Western legal roots. Next, the discussion focuses on the response to the increasing awareness of the downside of modern human civilization: a changing human-nature attitude in the Nineteenth Century and the adoption of a large number of international nature protection conventions in the Twentieth Century. However, all this ‘law making’ has not resulted in comprehensive wilderness protection at the global or regional level, which may be explained by a number of important weaknesses in these conventions and their implementation. Probably, many of these weaknesses have much to do with weaknesses of humankind itself, such as the difficulty to accept limitations to our social and economic ambitions and our disability to deal with accumulative impacts. Against the background of these discussions, the final part of this chapter discusses options for strengthening wilderness protection with an emphasis on the importance of making deliberate policy choices to protect wilderness.
KW - wilderness
KW - wilderness protection
KW - wilderness law
KW - human-nature relationship
KW - mapping wilderness
KW - GIS
KW - nature conservation
KW - nature conservation law
KW - biodiversity
KW - accumulative impacts
KW - naturalness
KW - ecosystems
M3 - Chapter
SN - 978-94-017-7397-3
SP - 117
EP - 136
BT - Mapping wilderness
A2 - Fritz, Steffen
A2 - Carver, Stephen
PB - Springer
CY - Dordrecht
ER -