Wilderness Area (United States)
Wilderness Area ( English , literally " wilderness area") is a class of nature reserves in the United States that are fundamentally unaffected by human interference and should be permanently protected from them. A wilderness area is established by the US Congress under the Wilderness Act of September 3, 1964 (Public Law 88-577). Only large contiguous areas of at least 20 km² (5000 acre ) or islands, which may be smaller, are protected . All wilderness areas meet the definition of Category I: Strict nature area / wilderness area (protected area that is mainly managed for the purpose of research or the protection of the wilderness) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).
There are 803 wilderness areas (as of 2019), ranging in size from the Pelican Island Wilderness , Florida with 2.4 hectares to the Wrangell-Saint Elias Wilderness , Alaska with 36,732.3 km². They are located in 44 of the 50 US states and in Puerto Rico . Depending on the focus of the protection concept and the already existing care of the area before the designation, wilderness areas can be managed by the four government agencies Bureau of Land Management , Fish and Wildlife Service , US Forest Service and National Park Service .
Unlike national parks , which are of great importance for tourism, all wilderness areas have in common that there is no tourist or other infrastructure. There are no roads, buildings, designated campsites or other facilities here. Historical buildings, prehistoric settlements, etc. do not stand in the way of protection if they do not or not significantly shape the area as a whole. After the designation, such buildings may be maintained, but not expanded or replaced. Paths are rudimentary maintained depending on the area.
Only ten particularly small and strictly protected wilderness areas (all under the administration of the Fish and Wildlife Service ) are prohibited from entering, in the other areas natural use is possible without vehicles. Bicycles , including mountain bikes , are forbidden, trekking and possibly trail riding and canoeing are the only modes of transport. Fishing is permitted by law in nearly all areas, and hunting is generally permitted in areas managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the US Forest Service .
See also
Web links
- Website of the Wilderness Institute of the University of Montana, the Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center and the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute
- Wilderness Act , Act of September 3, 1964 (Public Law 88-577)
Individual evidence
- ↑ wilderness.net: Fast Facts about America's Wildernesses (as of March 12, 2019, accessed September 4, 2019)