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Monitoring to Protect the Character of Individual Wildernesses

Informally Refereed

Abstract

A primary goal of wilderness stewardship is to protect individual wilderness areas from most anthropogenic change. Numerous agents of change threaten to degrade wilderness character. These agents of change are both internal (for example, grazing) and external (for example, polluting industries) to wilderness. They can be activities (for example, recreation use) or the indirect effects of activities (for example, invasion of exotic species), and can also be management actions (for example, fire suppression). Wilderness managers need information about both these agents of change (or threats) and the attributes of wilderness character that they threaten. They need monitoring data about (1) the magnitude of threats and (2) changes in wilderness attributes caused by these threats (impacts), in order to be in a better position to protect the wilderness character of the areas that they steward. This paper uses a matrix approach to provide a comprehensive overview of wilderness protection monitoring. It describes the current state-of-the-art. It identifies substantial knowledge and technological gaps, as well as research needs.

Parent Publication

Keywords

monitoring, assessment, sustainability, Western Hemisphere, sustainable management, ecosystem resources, wilderness stewardship, wilderness areas

Citation

Cole, David N. 2006. Monitoring to Protect the Character of Individual Wildernesses. In: Aguirre-Bravo, C.; Pellicane, Patrick J.; Burns, Denver P.; and Draggan, Sidney, Eds. 2006. Monitoring Science and Technology Symposium: Unifying Knowledge for Sustainability in the Western Hemisphere Proceedings RMRS-P-42CD. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 81-85
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/26392