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European Wilderness Quality Standard and Audit System

Version 1.8. March 2015

Published by:

European Wilderness Society

Abstract The European Wilderness Society is a pan-European, wilderness and environmental advocacy organization whose mission is to identify, designate, manage and promote European wild areas and wilderness in order to support their long-term existence and further development and restoration. To achieve our mission, we developed together with numerous wilderness organisations (amongst others Wild Europe, UNEP, WWF, IUCN, UNWTO, WCPA, John Muir Trust and UNESCO) the European Wilderness Quality Standard and Audit System, which provides a common European wilderness certification standard for existing and potential wild areas and wilderness. Based on over 500 indicators divided into nine principles: 1) wilderness size and zoning, 2) natural processes and biodiversity, 3) wilderness management, 4) restoration, 5) extractive uses, 6) wilderness disturbance, 7) control strategies for fire, invasive species, natural catastrophes, 8) research and monitoring, 9) international relevance, an area is assigned one of the four wilderness categories: bronze, silver, gold or platinum. A wild area can evolve into a wilderness area over a long term process. Since 2001, already 16 areas have undergone the detailed analysis of the EWQA and its predecessor auditing system managed by our team members. The European Wilderness Society is based in Austria and consists of a team of multicultural dedicated wilderness and wildlife specialists, nature conservationists, researchers and scientists, tourism and regional development experts, marketing and business professionals, legal and finance advisors and wilderness advocates. Our experts are active members in all relevant international wilderness organisations. Our partners include international organisations, gouvernments, public instituitions, corporations, associations, protected area managers and environmental organisations.

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European Wilderness Quality Standard and Audit System

1.) Background Wilderness areas represent a vital part of Europe’s natural and cultural heritage. In addition to their intrinsic value, they offer the opportunity for people to experience the spiritual quality of nature in the widest experiential sense – beyond mere physical and visual attributes, and in particular its psychological impact.

They also provide important economic, social and environmental benefits, including ecosystem services, for local communities, landholders and society at large.

Wilderness core zones perform several functions more efficiently than modified landscapes. Among these are for example:

• Conserving natural processes, • Securing evolutionary genetic potential, • Conserving biodiversity, especially the large herbivores, top predators and scavenger communities, • Protecting essential ecosystem services, • Connecting landscapes, • Capturing and storing carbon dioxide, • Building scientific knowledge and understanding of natural processes, • Inspiring people.

The wilderness concept has gained considerable momentum in Europe during the last 15 years. A milestone was the adoption of the “European Parliament Resolution on Wilderness in Europe” in February 2009, which calls on the European Commission to1:

• Develop a clear definition of wilderness. • Mandate the European Environment Agency and other relevant European bodies to map the last

wilderness areas in Europe. • Undertake a study on the values and benefits of wilderness protection. • Develop an EU wilderness strategy. • Develop wilderness areas; and carefully manage re-wilding areas. • Promote the values of wilderness and launch information campaigns to raise awareness about

wilderness and its significance together with NGOs & local communities.

The EU Member States were invited to exchange ‘best practices’ examples in managing wilderness areas, develop a code of conduct for tourism, and to ensure the best protection of wilderness areas. Particular emphasis was given on how to best integrate the wilderness concept into the Birds and Habitats Directives, especially through the Natura2000 Network with wilderness areas having “a central place”.

1 Wilderness in Europe. European Parliament resolution of 3 February 2009 on Wilderness in Europe (2008/2210(INI))

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From 2005, the Wild Europe Initiative (WEI)2 was started in a collaborative effort to promote the wilderness concept amongst several European nature conservation organizations, such as PAN Parks, EUROPARC, WWF, BirdLife International, IUCN, UNESCO, Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP), European Centre for Nature Conservation (ECNC), Rewilding Europe, and including personnel from the European Commission and the Council of Europe.

In May 2009, more than 230 representatives from governments, conservation agencies, NGOs and academic institutions met in Prague at the “Conference on Wilderness and Large Natural Habitat Areas” developed by WEI and hosted by the Czech European Union Presidency and the European Commission. A key outcome was the “Message from Prague”3, which contains 26 recommendations - “An Agenda for Europe’s Wild Areas” - from the participants on policy, research, awareness raising, and partnerships concerning wilderness.

A definition of wilderness to be applied to the wilderness areas was first formulated in 2005. Subsequentl to the Prague Conference, it was passed to the Wilderness Working Group (WWG) of the Wild Europe Initiative was established to develop this as a practical entity. WWG workshops were held during 2010 and early 2011 with participation from several of the WEI partner organizations, which generated “The Working Definition of European Wilderness and Wild Areas4” (WILD EUROPE INITIATIVE 2013). There have since been a number of updates to widen participation in the definition, which will continue to develop in response to feedback from practical application with this version incorporating the latest updates.

Leading up to the WILD10 Conference in Salamanca, Spain, in 2013, the feedback of several members of the WWG, NGOs, and Government organisations plus the practical experience gathered during the first applications of these criteria in several test sites, led to an update of the criteria. This update was an ongoing exercise to widen participation in the definition (eg including high ranking former or existing IUCN personnel. It was not conducted in response to feedback from Germany, Scotland or Scandinavia – although this is of considerable interest in considering the need for further updates (the definition is “organic“ and will develop in response to feedback).

The Wild Europe definition of wilderness has been adopted by the European Commission as the basis for the EC Guidelines on (non intervention) management of wilderness areas, published in 2013, and for the EC Register published at the end of 2014. It is also being used in a growing number of local initiatives and emerging national strategies.

The UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) aims explicitly towards ecosystem protection and the protection of natural processes (UN CBD 1992). CBD's 3rd Global Biodiversity Outlook addresses wilderness and opportunities for rewilding landscapes even more directly, and notes that about 2% of Europe’s land surface (200.000 km2) are expected to be freed up by 2050 and could become potential areas for rewilding landscapes and ecosystems dominated by natural processes. 5

In 2007, Germany has integrated the various international recommendations in its National Biodiversity Strategy and plans to designate 2% of its territory as wilderness by 2020 (German Federal Ministry for the Environment 2007). An Austrian study by ÖBf-WWF identifies so-called de-facto wilderness areas: according

2 http://www.wildeurope.org/ 3 POSELSTVÍ FROM PRAGUE- An Agenda for Europe’s Wild Areas. http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/090528_final_prague_message.pdf 4 Wild Europe Initiative (2013): A Working Definition of European Wilderness and Wild Areas. 5 “There are opportunities for rewilding landscapes from farmland abandonment in some regions – in Europe, for example, about 200 000 square kilometers of land are expected to be freed up by 2050. Ecological restoration and reintroduction of large herbivores and carnivores will be important in creating self-sustaining ecosystems with minimal need for further human intervention.” Global Biodiversity Outlook 3, 2010.

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to the study, Austria implements a non-intervention management on already 2% of its territory, and a much higher potential for wilderness exists. In addition, the Austrian National Park Strategy 6 envisions designating further wilderness areas (in the sense of non-intervention management) in all Austrian National Parks.

2.) The Need for a Wilderness Standard

One of the main reasons for the absence of a coordinated strategy on wilderness and large natural habitat areas in Europe is the lack of a common wilderness standard.

Despite the existing wilderness definition by the WILD EUROPE INITIATIVE there are many different words and interpretations for ‘wilderness’ and ‘wild’ and it is impossible to adequately promote, protect, restore an area if its qualities remain unclear, or are understood differently according to geographic location, individual perception or local culture. The development of a widely accepted, comprehensible and applicable European standard has thus become crucial.

It is important that any standard can thus be applied in operational circumstances. The European Wilderness Quality Standard and Audit System as a common European standard provides the basis for a comprehensive wilderness preservation system (including wilderness and wild areas) with:

• Improved compliance – The European Wilderness Quality Standard and Audit System is compliant with all recent and existing wilderness definitions currently applied in most European countries. This provides easy integration into national and regional policies.

• Expectation fulfilment – Adherence to the European Wilderness Quality Standard and Audit System helps ensure visitor satisfaction, reliability and environmental care. As a result, visitors perceive wilderness areas as more dependable – this in turn raises visitor confidence, increasing visits and financial support.

• Improving effectiveness – The European Wilderness Quality Standard and Audit System provides wilderness area managers with reliable third-party recommendations based upon a detailed analysis of the strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the wilderness area, the so-called SWOT analysis based on a standard set of European wide accepted criteria and indicators.

• Pan-European adherence – Regulators and legislators for protecting users frequently reference standards. Standards play a central role in the European Union's policy for a Single Market. Adherence to the European Wilderness Quality Standards will show the commitment to a common set of European values.

• Interoperability - The ability of wilderness areas to work together relies heavily on a common set of wilderness standards.

• Encourage research – European Wilderness Quality Standards provide a solid foundation upon which scientists base their research and their monitoring.

• Marketing possibilities – As more and more wilderness areas adhere to the European Wilderness Quality Standards, more visitors and wilderness advocates will support and promote wilderness publicly due to their increased awareness and confidence.

• Reduced costs – Potential Wilderness areas do not have to reinvent the wheel because all the basic criteria and indicators, which define a wilderness, have already been defined. This ensures that new wilderness areas will support the same principles along with the existing wilderness network.

6 Nationalparks Austria (2010). Austrian Nationalpark-Strategie

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• Benefits for wilderness – The European Wilderness Quality Standard and Audit System sets minimum levels that classify wilderness according to several principles, criteria and a multitude of indicators. They provide benchmarks against which wilderness areas are audited. This gives the areas an incentive to improve their wilderness to gain an advantage and in turn guarantees public access to more wilderness for future generations.

3.) European Wilderness Definition

Wilderness is in general an open-ended process for an indefinite period of time with no objective other than to let the area develop to its own rules. Wilderness is sometimes referred to as self-willed land and encompasses clear objectives of non-human intervention and extraction principles. Wilderness areas certified under the European Wilderness Quality Standard and Audit System should have three ‘zones,’ with a wilderness core zone surrounded by a restoration/buffer zone with active restoration activities, which in turn is surrounded by a wilderness transition zone. Wilderness core zones are the main focus of the European Wilderness Quality Standard and Audit System and are defined as:

Natural processes govern wilderness core zones meeting the European Wilderness Quality Standard and Audit System “Gold- or Platinum Category”. They are composed of native habitats and species, and large enough for the effective ecological functioning of natural processes. They are unmodified or only slightly modified and without intrusive or extractive human activity, settlements, infrastructure or visual disturbance.

Wild area core zones meeting the European Wilderness Quality Standard and Audit System “Bronze- or Silver Categories” are wild areas that have a high level of predominance of natural process and natural habitat. They tend to be individually smaller and more fragmented than the “Gold- or Platinum Category” wilderness areas, although they often cover extensive tracts. The condition of their natural habitat, processes and relevant species is however often partially or substantially modified by past human activities such as livestock herding, hunting, fishing, and collecting berries and mushrooms.

The definition of wilderness is being used for the EC Guidelines on Management of Wilderness and Wild Areas in the Natura 2000 Network (published August 2013), and in development of the forthcoming EC Wilderness Register. This document is additionally now a reference point for a number of strategies and projects for wilderness and wild areas.

4.) Wilderness Continuum

True wilderness is extremely rare in Europe. While there are still primary wilderness areas across Europe, most need to be categorized as secondary wilderness areas. Researchers and scientists therefore developed the Wilderness Continuum Framework to reflect the different wilderness stages an area can have and take on over time.

The degree to which an area is wild can be measured along a ‘continuum’ – with primary wilderness at one end and marginal agriculture and marginal forestry at the other.

The position of any particular area on this continuum is dependent on the degree of habitat and process modification, human impact etc. Wherever possible, it should progress over time along this continuum, through increased stages of naturalness towards a wilder state - as a result of restoration of its habitat, wildlife and natural processes. This restoration can occur purely through the actions of nature or with some initial human involvement.

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Attainment of a state without human intervention and use, respectively, dominated by open-ended natural processes is the ultimate goal wherever scale, biodiversity needs and geography permit.

Fig. 1: Wilderness Continuum Framework, adapted from Rob Leslie, 2013“

This Wilderness Continuum concept by Robert Leslie7 provides the underlying framework reflected in the different categories of the European Wilderness Quality Standard and Audit System.

• The Bronze Category is a wild area, which is smaller in size (see chapter Wilderness categories and their minimum size for detailed area sizes) and still has weaknesses when it comes to the full protection of natural processes. It has a high potential to enlarge the core zone.

• The Silver Category is a wild area that is already larger in size and has moved along the wilderness continuum upwards toward being a “true” wilderness.

• The Gold Category is the former standard as defined in the “Working Definition of European Wilderness and Wild Areas“ (WILD EUROPE INITIATIVE 2013).

7 Leslie, R. G., & Taylor, S. G. (1985). The wilderness continuum concept and its implications for Australian wilderness preservation policy. Biological Conservation, 32(4), 309-333.

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• The Platinum Category is reserved to the largest and wildest areas either consisting of primary wilderness, or having reached a very advanced stage in the rewilding process.

5.) The European Wilderness Quality Standard and Audit System

The starting point for revision and the basis for the European Wilderness Quality Standard and Audit System is the widely agreed upon “Definition of Wilderness and Wild Areas“ as developed and maintained by the Wild Europe Initiative and applies to Wilderness and Wild Lands. The main objective of the European Wilderness Quality Standard and Audit System and reflecting the theory of the wilderness continuum is to encourage smaller wild areas to restoring their wild lands while simultaneously rewarding the designation of large pristine wilderness areas.

This development was encouraged by the input of several leading European NGOs as well as government agencies and managers of protected areas including among others the Wilderness Research Institute, ECO Austria, German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), Nationalparks Austria, WWF Austria, WCPA, IUCN, Wild Europe Initiative and the John Muir Trust Fund.

The objective of the European Wilderness Quality Standard and Audit System is the establishment of European wilderness preservation system with a widely accepted and applicable wilderness standard based upon numerous principles, criteria and indicators that serves as a basis for effective wilderness protection, designation, restoration, and promotion initiatives across a range of geographic and cultural circumstances in all European countries. It provides an easily understood, unambiguous and attractive wilderness standard that can mobilize the necessary interest and support among practitioners and across key sectors of society.

The European Wilderness Quality Standard and Audit System complies with the following relevant concepts and definitions, resp.:

• Wild Europe Initiative “Working Definitions and Criteria for Wilderness and Wild Areas”, • IUCN criteria and guidelines for the management of wilderness areas (IUCN guidelines for applying

protected area management categories, 2013), • PAN Parks criteria for wilderness areas (Kun & Vancura 2002), • Wilderness definition of the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Bundesamt für

Naturschutz 2013), • Wilderness Continuum model of Robert Leslie (Leslie & Taylor 1985), • Wilderness register and indicator for Europe (Kun et al. 2013), • Verified Conservation Area Council (IUCN Green Development Initiative 2014).

6.) Wilderness Categories and their minimum size

Four categories of core zones are defined within the European Wilderness Quality Standard and Audit System. Each category defines a specific wilderness quality standard with a clear focus on its wilderness values. Minimum size is ideally governed by multiple considerations including type of habitat that need to be considered collectively in determining the respective adherence to the Standard. In general the wilderness or wild area should have a core zone with the below mentioned size.

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• Bronze Wild Area – wild area core zone of at least 1,000 ha (500 ha for specific habitats like raised bogs, floodplains, etc,).

• Silver Wild Area – wild area core zone of at least 2,000 ha. • Gold Wilderness Area – wilderness core zone of at least 3,000 ha. This category represents the

minimum size recommended by the former “Working Definition of European Wilderness and Wild Areas”.

• Platinum Wilderness Area – wilderness core zone of at least 10,000 ha. This category represents the highest achievable level in the wilderness continuum.

Fig. 2: Bronze-, Silber-, Gold and Platinum Wilderness-Categories, European Wilderness Quality Standard and Audit System

7.) The Importance of Zoning

Wilderness and wild areas certified under the European Wilderness Quality Standard and Audit System should have three ‘zones,’ with a core zone surrounded by a restoration/buffer zone of, which in turn is surrounded by a wilderness transition zone. It is considered that this threefold structure offers best protection of key wilderness principles whilst allowing potential for future expansion and flexible interaction with other land uses.

• The core zone would have the ‘highest’ quality of wilderness, with depending on the certification level absolutely no or just minimal impact of human activity or infrastructure and a dominance of natural processes. Where feasible, outward expansion would occur over time through restoration into the restoration zone – particularly if the core zone were not large enough initially to allow complete ecological processes.

• The restoration/buffer zone, with relatively low impact of human presence, surrounds the core zone and will become part of it according to a wilderness restoration plan and after implementation of restoration activities. Where feasible the emphasis here is the restoration of natural ecosystems and processes, with phasing out of built infrastructure and buildings and high impact activities within five to ten years.

• The transition zone is an area with a threefold purpose: it protects the core and the restoration zone against negative impacts from the surrounding “normal” landscape, it helps to contain potentially harmful processes (like bark-beetle outbreaks or fire) within the wilderness boundaries and it secures a smooth transition between the wilderness core and the commercially managed land in its surroundings. In order to secure the implementation of a full non-intervention regime within

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the core zone, targeted management activities like bark-beetle control, fire control or ungulate management will have to take place in the transition zone. Beyond these targeted management activities a range of low intensity land use-activities is permitted in the transition zone, but with management controls to prevent any development or activity that might negatively impact wilderness quality within the core and restoration zones (like the development of major infrastructure, construction of wind farms and hydropower installations, large scale clear felling or anything else which might significantly alter the landscape or natural environment. Sustainable harvesting is possible of timber, animals (hunting & fishing) and plants (berries, fruits, mushrooms), together with organic agriculture. The transition zone will also accommodate the infrastructure needed to keep visitor impact on the wilderness core to a minimum (like shelters and huts, camp sites, information centres, information boards, etc.).

8.) Stepwise Approach to certification along the continuum

The manager of a potential wilderness area generally proposes a wilderness or wild area with a clearly defined boundary as a result from a potential wilderness mapping exercise. A vision for the planned wilderness or wild area is defined right after. Based on this vision, a first examination of the area, workshops with the management team and an analysis of all available and relevant documents and management plans, the area becomes officially designated as „European Wilderness Quality Standard and Audit System Candidate“. During the next two years, management plans for invasive species, fire control and restoration needs to be developed for the area to prepare the detailed audit.

After two years, the area will be examined in detail according to over 200 indicators for wilderness areas resulting in a SWOT analysis (Analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats). Approximately two weeks of analyses and examinations of the area are needed for this process. Based on the results of this European Wilderness Quality Standard und Audit System, a management plan will be finalised and defined for the wilderness area. The area is then awarded with one of the relevant wilderness categories.

As a result of the restoration activities, the core zone will be gradually enlarged and reaches its maximal extent during the last stage. The progress in restoration finally defines which wilderness category will be assigned to the area.

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Step 1 Step 2

Selection of the project area, e.g. on the basis of wilderness quality mapping results a clear area proposition with a physical boundary.

Development of a vision of the future wilderness area.

Step 3 Step 4

Area receives the official candidate status. The area needs to complete the Wilderness Audit under the European Wilderness Quality Standard and Audit Systems guidelines over the next two years.

Based upon the results of European Wilderness Quality Standard and Audit Systems audit, a management plan is finalised and wilderness restoration is implemented. The area is certified according the relevant wilderness category (bronze standard assuming the core area has 1,000 ha).

Step 5 Step 6

Restoration in the restoration/buffer zone leads to intervention-free core area of more than 2,000 ha. The area is certified as Silver Standard Area.

Progressive restoration leads to intervention-free core zone reaching 3,000 ha and certification as Gold Standard Area is undertaken.

Step 7

Restoration of wilderness area fully accomplished.

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9.) The Audit System and Wilderness SWOT Report

All wilderness or wild areas with a special focus on the core zones are audited according to the following principles and criteria of the European Wilderness Quality Standard and Audit System. Over the last 16 years a set of almost 500 indicators have been identified and are being audited and verified. The audit is repeated in general every 5 years but no later than 10 years and supports with its analysis the monitoring of the wilderness area. It also contains a detailed analysis of the strengths, weaknesses. The criteria fall into these nine principles:

• Wilderness Size and Zoning: In general a wilderness area should have the three above-mentioned zones. In cases where these cannot be implemented additional measures to ensure the protection and functioning of the wilderness core zone must be implemented.

• Natural processes and biodiversity: In general a wilderness or wild area should have a core zone where natural processes maintain natural dynamics in biodiversity, contributes to the conservation of wilderness indicative species and contains examples of undisturbed ecosystems.

• Wilderness Management Plan: This plan encompasses the different Wilderness conservation measures, a biodiversity management plan, and a plan for supporting the natural processes, a landscape management and the training of the responsible wilderness management team. This principle also covers the impact of visitor management.

• Wilderness Restoration: In general a plan must be in place for all wilderness restoration/buffer zones to restore wilderness for later expansion of the core zone.

• Wilderness and Extractive Uses: The core zone should not have any human extractive use or human intervention. For restoration purposes, some management interventions might still be permitted at the “Bronze- and Silver Standard”-levels especially, but only under very strict regulations and after close scrutiny of their necessity. Also covered under this principle are fire control, disease control, wildlife management and invasive species control.

• Wilderness Disturbance: Here the focus lies on the removal of infrastructure, well-planned tourism access and strictly regulated and limited road access to the area, in order to secure minimum impact on the wilderness core zones.

• Control strategy for fire, invasive species, natural catastrophes: In general a wilderness or wild area should has a fire control plan, a disease control plan and an invasive species control plan. Here the focus lies on the core zone without any active management measures to control fire, disease and an invasive species.

• Wilderness Research and Monitoring: Research and monitoring activities should generally be non-invasive in their character and observe minimum-intervention principles. This requests a detailed plan for scientific research and cooperation in cooperation with scientific institutions and universities regardless of the European Wilderness Quality Standard and Audit System level.

• International Relevance: The audit of the international relevance focuses mainly on the IUCN categories, Natura 2000 Network, UNESCO designations but also accepts others certifications.

The results of the European Wilderness Quality Standard and Audit System is a detailed wilderness

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assessment report including a detailed SWOT analysis on the basis of a standard set of European widely accepted wilderness principles, criteria and more than 200 indicators. This report provides the management team of the wilderness area with a detailed plan including action items recommended by the auditors to improve the Wilderness Quality. This report can also be used for the European reporting requirement as well as for the CBD reporting for monitoring purposes.

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Wilderness Category / Principle

and Criteria

Bronze Silver Gold Platinum

1. Wilderness Size and Zoning

1.1. The wilderness or wild area has a clearly defined boundary.

√ √ √ √

1.2. Minimum size of the core zone depending on the predominant habitat type.

At least 1,000 ha (500 ha for

specific habitats)

At least 2,000 ha

At least 3,000 ha At least 10,000 ha

1.3. Normally wilderness or wild areas have three ‘zones,’ (core, restoration/buffer and transition zone) where further extension of the area is planned and two ‘zones’ (core, transition) where restoration/extension is completed.

√ √ √ √

2. Natural processes and biodiversity

2.1. The core zone follows natural processes to maintain natural

√ √ √ √

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dynamics in biodiversity.

2.2. The core zone contributes to the conservation of wilderness indicative species.

√ √ √ √

2.3. The core zone contains examples of undisturbed ecosystems.

√ √ √ √

2.4. The wilderness or wild area has a management plan to restore natural processes in the restoration zone.

√ √ √ √

3. Wilderness Management

3.1. The area is protected by law in accordance with the respective national legislative framework for an indefinite period of time.

√ √ √ √

3.2. The wilderness or wild area has a wilderness management plan in place with a duration of at least 10 years

A wilderness management plan will be implemented no later than 3

years after the first EWQA certification

√ √

3.3. The wilderness or wild area has a sufficiently large, well trained, and

√ √ √ √

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full time management team.

3.4. A training plan for the management team exists.

√ √ √ √

4. Wilderness Restoration

4.1. The wilderness or wild area has a longterm vision to enlarge the core zone.

√ √ √ √

4.2. The wilderness or wild area has a wilderness restoration plan to enlarge the core zone.

To preferably 1.000 to 2.000

ha, depending on habitat type

To preferably 3.000 ha

To preferably 10.000 ha resp. 75% of the total

area

To preferably to 20.000 ha resp. 75% of the total area

5. Wilderness and Extractive uses

5.1. The core zone has no extractive or commercial uses.

√ √ √ √

5.2. The core zone has no forestry operation.

√ √ √ √

Generally no forestry is allowed.

If forestry interventions are absolutely necessary to protect or restore the wilderness area (e.g. by removing invasive species), very strict

regulations apply. They are limited to the transition zone and need to be clearly defined in the management plan.

5.3. The core zone has no hunting and no game-management interventions.

√ √ √ √

Generally no hunting or culling is allowed.

If some game management is absolutely necessary to protect or restore the wilderness area, very strict regulations apply and need to be clearly

defined. Game management may be needed temporarily to compensate for the lack of large carnivores or because of animal diseases. Wherever possible, game management activities should be redirected to the transition zone.

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5.4. The core zone has no extractive fishing and no management interventions into fish populations.

√ √ √ √

Generally no fishing is allowed.

If management interventions into fish populations are absolutely necessary to protect and restore the wilderness area, very strict regulations apply

and need to be clearly defined.

5.5. The wilderness or wild area has a game and fish management plan for restoration and transition zones.

√ √ √ √

5.6. The core zone has no active mining.

√ √ √ √

5.7. The core zone has restored old mining sites.

√ √ √ √

5.8. Park management has implemented a restoration plan for old mining sites in the restoration zone.

√ √ √ √

5.9. The core zone has no domestic livestock grazing.

√ √ √ √

5.10. The core zone has no crop agriculture.

√ √ √ √

5.11. The core zone has no deadwood collection.

√ √ √ √

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5.12. The core zone has no commercial collecting of berries, nuts and mushrooms.

√ √ √ √

6. Wilderness Disturbance

6.1. The core zone has no permanent infrastructure.

√ √ √ √

6.2. The core zone has no permanent settlements.

√ √ √ √

6.3. The wilderness or wild area has a management plan how to deal with temporary structures in the restoration zone. There are no more temporary structures in the core zone.

√ √ √ √

6.4. The wilderness or wild area has a management plan how to deal with inherited settlements.

√ √ √ √

6.5. The wilderness or wild area has a management plan how to deal with inherited traditional gathering sites required by indigenous peoples (e.g. traditional reindeer herding sites in Nordic countries).

√ √

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6.6. Permanent infrastructure in the restoration zone is removed according to a restoration plan unless the removal is detrimental to the quality of the wilderness area.

√ √ √ √

6.7. The wilderness or wild area has a management plan how to deal with archaeological remains.

√ √ √ √

6.8. The core zone has no use of motorized transport (human safety excluded).

√ √ √ √

Generally no motorized transport or traffic is allowed.

If motorized transport or traffic is absolutely necessary to protect or restore the wilderness area or to remove existing infrastructure, strict

regulations apply and need to be clearly defined.

6.9. The core zone has free access on foot.

√ √ √ √

Access can be restricted in parts of the area, if this is necessary for biodiversity conservation reasons or for maintaining wilderness quality.

6.10. The core zone has clear rules on the use of horses.

√ √ √ √

6.11. The core zone has no fencing.

√ √ √ √

6.12. The core zone has clear rules on the use of dog leads.

√ √ √ √

6.13. The core zone has clear rules on visitors and

√ √ √ √

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recreation activities, with strict ‘leave no trace’ rules.

6.14. The wilderness or wild area has an integrated visitor and recreation strategy to support the wilderness concept.

√ √ √ √

7. Control strategy for fire, invasive species, natural catastrophes

7.1. The wilderness or wild area has a fire control plan. There is no fire control in the core zone.

√ √ √ √

Fire control is performed in the transition zone (and – if necessary and feasible without lasting impact – in the restoration zone). Design of fire

control measures should seek to minimize environmental impacts.

7.2. The wilderness or wild area has a disease control plan. There is no disease control in the core zone.

√ √ √ √

Disease control activities are performed in the transition zone and – if necessary and feasible without lasting impact – in the restoration zone. Design and implementation of disease control activities should seek to minimize environmental impacts (e.g. no pesticide use for bark-beetle

control, just sanitary logging and bark stripping).

7.3. The wilderness or wild area has an invasive species control plan.

√ √ √ √

Control activities for invasive species are restricted to the transition zone and to the restoration zone (the latter only if necessary and feasible without compromising restoration goals). Sustained control activities in

the transition zone may be crucial to protect the core zone against recolonization.

8. Wilderness Research and Monitoring

8.1. The management has a wilderness research and

√ √ √ √

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monitoring strategy.

8.2. Management has a monitoring system in place documenting all activities and extractive uses in all zones.

√ √ √ √

8.3 The wilderness or wild area has a monitoring plan in place to document indigenous peoples’ life supporting activities and their impacts.

√ √ √ √

8.4 The wilderness or wild area has a detailed plan for cooperation with scientific institutions and universities.

√ √ √ √

9. International relevance

9.1. The wilderness or wild area is internationally recognized (IUCN, Natura 2000, UNESCO, other relevant certifications).

There is a plan to develop a proposal for international

recognition at least 10 years after the first European

Wilderness Quality Standard und Audit System certification.

√ √

9.2. The wilderness or wild area is planning to become part of Natura 2000 network (where relevant and in accordance with the wilderness objectives).

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Literature German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (2013). Wildnis und Wildnis-Gebiete - Versuch einer begrifflichen Klarstellung. http://www.bfn.de/0311_wildnis.html 10.02.2015 German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (2007). National Biodiversity Strategie. IUCN Guidelines for applying protected area management categories. 2008 (p. 14). European Parliament (2009). Wilderness in Europe. European Parliament resolution of 3 February 2009 on Wilderness in Europe (2008/2210(INI)) http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+TA+20090203+ITEMS+DOC+XML+V0//EN 10.12.2014 IUCN Green Development Initiative (2014). Verified Conservation Area (VCA) Council http://v-c-a.org/standard/ 10.02.2015 Poselství from Prague- An Agenda for Europe’s Wild Areas. Summary of the Conference on Wilderness and Large Natural Habitat Areas, Prague, Czech Republic, 27-28 May 2009. http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/090528_final_prague_message.pdf Kun, Z., Vancura, V., Kuiters, A.T., van Eupen, M., Carver, S. and Fisher, M. (2013). Wilderness register and indicator for Europe. Final report October 2013. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/wilderness/pdf/Wilderness_register_indicator.pdf Kun, Z. & Vancura, V. (2002). Pan Parks principles and criteria. Published by PAN Parks. Leslie, R. G., & Taylor, S. G. (1985). The wilderness continuum concept and its implications for Australian wilderness preservation policy. Biological Conservation, 32(4), 309-333. Nationalparks Austria (2010). Austrian Nationalpark-Strategie. Published by: The Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management. ÖBf & WWF (2012). Wildnis in Österreich? Herausforderungen für Gesellschaft, Naturschutz und Naturraummanagement in Zeiten des Klimawandels. Published by: Österreichische Bundesforste AG (ÖBf AG), Kompetenzfeld Naturschutz, Purkersdorf, 2012. Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (2010) Global Biodiversity Outlook 3. Montréal. http://www.cbd.int/doc/publications/gbo/gbo3-final-en.pdf United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (1992). http://www.cbd.int/convention/articles/default.shtml?a=cbd-02

9.3. The wilderness or wild area supports the protection of internationally threatened species.

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WILD EUROPE INITIATIVE (2013). A Working Definition of European Wilderness and Wild Areas. http://www.wildeurope.org/images/pdf/a-working-definition-of-european-wilderness-and-wild-areas.pdf

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