The importance of archiving baseline wilderness data

Abstract

Baseline wilderness data are of considerable importance for several reasons. One of the primary values of wilderness is as a reference that contrasts with those lands where humans dominate the landscape. Leopold (1941) called wilderness "a base-datum of normality, a picture of how healthy land maintains itself." To realize this value, baseline data on wilderness conditions are needed, for comparison at some future time and for comparison to other lands. Baseline data also contribute knowledge needed to effectively steward wilderness. Baseline recreation data are particularly important to managing recreation in wilderness.

Citation

Cole, David N. 2007. The importance of archiving baseline wilderness data. International Journal of Wilderness 13(1): 30, 36.