History:
– Nature and wildness have been important subjects in various epochs of world history
– Landscape art tradition in the Tang Dynasty
– First known laws to protect nature in Babylonian and Chinese Empires
– Kings of England initiated efforts to protect natural areas for hunting
– In European cultures, wilderness was generally not regarded worth protecting
Importance:
– Wilderness areas cover roughly one-quarter of Earth’s terrestrial surface
– Only 13.2% of the ocean is free from intense human activity
– Governments establish protection for wilderness areas to preserve biodiversity
– Wilderness areas are important for certain species’ survival and ecological studies
– They provide habitat for wild flora and fauna that may be difficult to recreate elsewhere
Degradation:
– Wilderness areas are rapidly degraded by human activity
– Marine wilderness is gaining attention due to degradation
– Earth’s terrestrial surface is being degraded
– Only a small percentage of the ocean remains free from intense human activity
– Protection laws aim to preserve and advance natural expression and development
Ancient Times and Middle Ages:
– Landscape art tradition in the Tang Dynasty influenced Asian art
– First known laws to protect nature in Babylonian and Chinese Empires
– Kings of England initiated efforts to protect natural areas for hunting
– In medieval Christendom, wilderness was considered negatively
– Archiac nature religions oriented towards nature, replaced by divine law in medieval Christendom
15th to 19th Century:
– Colonists viewed wilderness as evil in its resistance to control
– Puritanical view of wilderness led colonists to destroy it for civilized society
– Wilderness was considered the root of colonists’ problems
– Efforts to control and dominate wilderness in North America
– Wilderness seen as a place of danger and moral negativity in European cultures
