Roadless Areas: a potential tool to define European Wilderness Areas

Nuria Selva, Stefan Kreft, Vassiliki Kati, Bengt-Gunnar Jonsson, Pierre L. Ibisch

Policy Committee- SCB Europe Section

Institute of Nature Conservation (Poland), Centre for Econics and Ecosystem Management, Eberswalde (Germany), University of Ioannina (Greece), Dpt of Natural Sciences, Engineering & Mathematics (Sweden)

“The tragic paradox of the white

man’s encroachment. The deeper

he went into Africa, the faster life

flowed out of it, off the plains, and

out of bush and into the cities”

Peter Beard “The end of the game” 1965

Initiatives at the policy level - 2009

Ecosystem services Conservation value Climate change Sustainable use

Uncultivated

Uninhabited

Undisturbed

Empty

Pathless

Remote

Abandoned

Unsettled

Wilderness definition

Natural areas

No noise

No light pollution

Abundant wildlife

Diverse

Wilderness Act Roadless Areas Conservation Rule

A wilderness is an area of undeveloped Federal land retaining its primeval character and influence, without permanent improvements or human habitation, which is protected and managed so as to preserve its natural conditions and which

1) generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the imprint of man's work substantially unnoticeable;

2) has outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation;

3) has at least five thousand acres of land or is of sufficient size as to make practicable its preservation and use in an unimpaired condition; and

4) may also contain ecological, geological, or other features of scientific, educational, scenic, or historical value.

What is Wilderness?

o Not (significantly) modified by human activities

o Natural habitat

o Large enough

o Ecosystem services

Roadless and low-traffic areas

Roadless Areas Initiative- Policy Committee SCB-ES

Roadless Areas – biodiversity conservation

• Preservation of native biodiversity

• Barrier against invasive species

• Preservation of genetic resources

• Maintenance of ecosystem connectivity and integrity

• Ensure habitat for viability of populations

• Provide migration corridors and stopovers

Roadless Areas – ecosystem services

• Water regulation and supply

• Erosion control

• Air quality

• Climate regulation

• Disease control (e.g. Lyme disease)

• Pollination of crops

• High resilience to pest outbreak

•Recreation

Roadless Areas – climate change

• High resilience and buffering capacity

• Protection against catastrophic events

(e.g. fires, landslides, floods)

• Carbon sequestration and decrease of

greenhouse gases effects

Roadless Areas Initiative- Rio+20 Conference

http://earthengine.google.org

this proof-of-concept global map displays in a green-gradient all areas of land that are more than one (or 10) kilometer from the nearest road, rail or navigable waterway.

Mapping Global Roadless Areas

Global Roadless Areas- 10 km buffer

http://earthengine.google.org

Global Roadless Areas- 1 km buffer

http://earthengine.google.org

Global Roadless Areas- 1 km buffer

http://earthengine.google.org

Global Roadless Areas- 1 km buffer

http://earthengine.google.org

Roadless areas in the Polish Carpathians

Roadless areas in the Polish Carpathians

Roadless and low-traffic areas are a proxy for relatively

undisturbed areas

Roadlessness is an essential component of wilderness

Criteria and thresholds being developed

Which size? Which habitat? Which roads and traffic? Which ecoregion? Which shape?

Conclusions

THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION!