Concepts and Measures for Maintaining Wilderness and Landscape Biodiversity in the Anthropocene

Abstract

“Wilderness” is a term used in everyday language with different culturally influenced meanings. Wilderness is largely perceived fundamentally as areas of untouched, or so-called “virgin,” countryside, which in ecological terms contain relatively undisturbed natural animal and plant populations. In areas where urban lifestyles dominate in Russia, there is a lower likelihood of daily interactions with nature and a greater need for intentionality before such interactions occur. We understand wilderness ( dikaya priroda ) as a largely undisturbed place (region, landscape) and as a subject of human recognition and legislative protection. Starting out from this pragmatic point of view, we developed an index of wildernesses in Russia for mapping and planning purposes. Roadless areas, settlements, industrial infrastructure, and powerlines are important input parameters for this index. Small-scale GIS maps were created of wildernesses and their level of protection. Three large Federal districts in the Asian part of Russia contain most remaining large areas of wilderness, consisting of undisturbed flora and fauna; a total of more than nine million square kilometers (54.6% of Russia). We emphasize the particular role of Arctic and sub-Arctic regions as wilderness and biodiverse ecosystems.