European Wilderness Society

Why is Wilderness important?

There are a long list of arguments answering the question ‘Why is Wilderness important?’, available on our website ! Arguments come from a very pragmatic perspective but also using many emotional arguments, for example :

  • Wilderness provides a number of important services for our life
  • Wilderness is important for our inspiration and spiritual life
  • Wilderness is important just because it is, etc

Another summary is offering Das Bundesamt für Naturschutz (BfN) project „Wildnis in Deutschland

1. Wilderness is our Treasury
WILDERNESS PROVIDES BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY.
Many threatened animals, plants and micro-organisms only find important living and retreat areas in Wilderness. Cross-linked biotopes also increase survival chances for migratory species.

2. Wilderness is a critical important for climate protection
WILDNIS HELPING THE CLIMATE.
Healthy forests, moors and floodplains have a balancing effect on the extreme weather patterns of climate change and permanently reduce carbon dioxide (CO2). They give creatures space and time to adapt to new climatic conditions.

3.Wilderness control flood protection
WILDERNESS PROTECT LIVING AREA.
Floods are often devastating for people, business and infrastructure. Floods are welcome in the wild floodplains. There the water has enough space and inhabited areas are protected.

4. Wilderness is a natural capital
WILDERNESS PROVIDES WIDE SPECTRUM OF NATURAL CAPITAL.
Drinking water, oxygen or plant pollination – we depend on the achievements of nature. Wilderness harbor an irreplaceable fortune.

5. Wilderness is bank of knowledge
WILDERNESS PROVIDES UNLIMITED KNOWLEDGE.
How does nature adapt to climate change? What solutions do animals and plants find in their natural environment? Wilderness is an important place for researchers. Survivable concepts for agriculture and forestry as well as flood and climate protection can be developed with this knowledge.

6. Wilderness and our emotion
WILDERNESS IS SUBJECT OF OUR LOVE.
The wilder nature, the better it pleases many people. Wilderness provide a counterbalance to the cultivated landscape. Body and soul come to rest. This is why Wilderness areas are popular tourist destinations around the world, attract tourists and artists and strengthen rural regions.

7. Wilderness is our responsibility
WILDERNESS IS OUR MISSION.
We rightly demand the protection of tropical rainforests or African savannahs. But undisturbed nature must also be possible with us. Two percent of the country’s surface area is to be achieved by 2020. This is what the federal government wants. Not much in international comparison. We should do that. Not only for us, but also for our children and grandchildren.

 

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