Wilderness

Degradation of Wilderness Threatens the Future of Human and Environmental Health

Throughout history, human development has steadily encroached further into the wild hinterlands of our natural world. Excluding Antarctica, more than 77 percent of land and 87 percent of the world’s oceans have currently experienced modification from human activity. With the global reach of climate change and pollution, nearly every corner of the Earth has in some way felt the impact of human life. Even preserved land, such as national parks and wilderness areas, contain air and water touched by pollution. This invasion into our global wilderness spaces has not only generated significant environmental damage but has also produced critical threats to human health. The degradation of our natural environment has increased the risk of global pandemics, and COVID-19 has been exceptionally demonstrative of the interconnectivity of public health to our current relationship with wilderness.