A reconnaissance-level inventory of the amount of wilderness remaining in the world

The article presents the results of a first reconnaissance-level inventory of wilderness on the land areas of the world. Wilderness is defined as undeveloped land still primarily shaped by the forces of nature. Only large blocks of wilderness over 400 000 hectares were identified. The inventory was based on global navigation charts which show high levels of detail in remote regions. The findings suggest one-third of the global land surface still is wilderness, with 48 069 951 square kilometers identified in 1039 tracts. However, 41% of the amount is in the Arctic or Antarctic and 20% in temperate regions. Most of the settled continents are beween one-fourth and one-third wilderness, Europe being the exception. Only a small share of this wilderness has been given protected status.