Wildness

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Wildness has been defined as a quality produced in nature (Thoreau 1906), as that which emerges from a forest (Micoud 1993), and as a level of achievement in nature (Cookson 2004). It is different to wilderness, which is a place where wildness occurs. The mechanisms involved in producing wildness have not been elucidated.

[edit] Human perceptions of wildness

Wildness is often mentioned in the writings of naturalists, such as John Muir and David Brower, where it is admired for its freshness and otherness. Henry David Thoreau wrote the famous phrase, “In wildness is the preservation of the world.” Some artists and photographers such as Eliot Porter explore wildness in the themes of their works. The benefits of reconnecting with nature by seeing the achievements of wildness is an area being investigated by ecopsychology.

Attempts to identify the characteristics of wildness are varied. One consideration sees wildness as that part of nature which is not controllable by humans. Nature retains a measure of autonomy, or wildness, apart from human constructions (Evanoff, 2005). Another version of this theme is that wildness produces things that are natural, while humans produce things that are artificial (man-made). Ambiguities about the distinction between the natural and the artificial animate much of art, literature and philosophy. There is the perception that naturally produced items have a greater elegance over artificial things. Modern zoos seek to improve the health and vigour of animals by simulating natural settings, in a move away from stark man-made structures.

Another view of wildness is that it is a social construct (Callicott 1994), and that humans cannot be considered ‘unnatural’. As wildness is claimed to be a quality that builds from animals and ecosystems, it often fails to be considered within reductionist theories for nature.

[edit] Recognizing wildness in animals

The importance of maintaining wildness in animals is recognized in the management of national parks. Feeding wild animals in national parks is usually discouraged because the animals may lose the skills they need to fend for themselves. Human interventions may also upset continued natural selection pressures upon the population, producing a version of domestication within wildlife (Peterson et al. 2005).

Tameness implies a reduction in wildness, where animals become more easily handled by humans. Some animals are easier to tame than others, and are amenable to domestication. Wildness has been used as a scale to rate the ease with which various strains of laboratory mice can be handled (Wahlsten et al. 2003).

The reverse of domestication or tameness can occur when an animal reverts back towards wildness. When this process occurs for introduced species they are named feral.

[edit] External Sources

Callicott, J.B. (2004). A critique of and an alternative to the wilderness idea. Wild Earth 4: 54-59.
Cookson, L.J. (2004) Wildness, the forgotten partner of evolution Gatherings, J. Internat. Community for Ecopsychology.
Evanoff, R.J. (2005). Reconciling realism and constructivism in environmental ethics. Environmental Values 14: 61-81.
Micoud, A. (1993). Vers un Nouvel Animal Sauvage: Le Sauvage ‘Naturalisé Vivant’. Natures Sciences Société 1: 202-210.
Peterson, M.N., Lopez, R.R., Laurent, E.J., Frank, P.A., Silvy, N.J. and Liu, J. (2005). Wildlife loss through domestication: the case of endangered key deer. Conservation Biology 19: 939-944.
Thoreau, H. (1906). Walking. In The Works of Henry Thoreau, Walden Edition
Wahlsten, D., Metten, P. and Crabbe, J.C. (2003). A rating scale for wildness and ease of handling laboratory mice: results for 21 inbred strains tested in two laboratories. Genes, Brain and Behavior 2: 71-79.