Antarctica: The world's last wilderness?

Abstract

The term 'wilderness' is explicitly mentioned in the Antarctic Treaty's Environmental Protocol, both in relation to protection of the wilderness values of Antarctica, and the consideration of these values when conducting any activity in the Treaty Area; yet no formal definition is provided. A definition is required to enable identification of potential wilderness areas in the Antarctic, to ensure their subsequent protection. That Antarctica contains wilderness seems in little doubt, but expansion and diversification of human activity creates impacts which are eroding and fragmenting the area of the continent that could be classified as wilderness. This paper reviews several possible definitions of wilderness previously submitted to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties and used in wilderness protection elsewhere in the world, from the complex to the simple, and the inverse relationship between footprint and wilderness. Suggestions on ways to map, monitor and better protect wilderness into the future are investigated, using both the existing framework of the Treaty System, and other management tools such as Strategic Environmental Assessment and Landscape Character Assessment. Consideration and implementation of these recommendations should then safeguard Antarctica, so that it can continue to remain the world's last large contiguous wilderness.