Wilderness is a natural phenomenon on Earth which indicates to vast areas of land being significantly under developed by mankind. It can be a large forest or mountains with indigenous shrubs and plants or rocky hills in higher altitudes untouched and natural as it is. They are also called wild lands. Wilderness can be divided into Flora and Fauna. Fauna are the animals and mammals, both domestic and wild while Flora are the plants of a particular region. Recent mappings suggest that over one quarter of Earths terrestrial surface is covered in wilderness and only about 13.2% is left in marine wilderness. But even those are being increasingly encroached upon by humans for re-constructional activities.
History
For most of mankind’s early history, life has always surrounded in and around wilderness. From water, food, houses and huts, clothes and weapons everything was created and obtained from the wild. Since after that, tribes and communities were formed. Slowly and steadily, the mere thought of using the wild for more than what it simply gave came into the picture. As people explored newer regions and areas of the nature, unknown and interesting things came into hand. But with this increasing curiosity and need for more, nature’s balance got disrupted. Ashoka, The great Mauryan emperor was the first to impose laws to protect flora and fauna. Many famous artists and poets like J.M.W Turner, William Wordsworth and John Constable have tried to capture the beauty of nature’s enigma and it’s never ending wilderness.
Wilderness Societies
By the early 19th century, the entire ideology of preserving nature and its wilderness surged. In Germany, “scientific conservation” that meant the efficient utilization of natural resources through the application of science and technology was implemented. By the mid 19th , the Conservation movement started. Extreme parts of the world joined this movement to safeguard the wild. In 1876, the first known World Nature Reserve was established in Fontainebleau State forest covering 1097 hectares. Wildlife preserves were established continuously throughout the late 1940s in order to stealthily indulge in big game hunting of wildlife. Nevertheless, by 1961 the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) was founded which became one among the largest conservation organisations in the world. But again as the population increased, consumption increased. Sustainable development was introduced in the early 20th century to preserve and conserve Nature in all its forms without exploiting all non renewable and renewable resources. This was done in order to ensure a stable environment for our future generations. Consequently several other organisations and wilderness laws were passed to ensure Nature conservation.
National parks and wildlife centres were developed. Endangered species (both flora and fauna) were protected from further getting extinct.
International organizations
- The World Conservation Union (IUCN) classifies wilderness at 2 levels: la(Strict Nature Preserves) and lb(wilderness areas).
- 48 countries have wilderness areas established.
- The awareness to protect our nature has spread to the hearts of small kids as well as old people.
