Europe still retains large areas which play host to numerous native and free-functioning ecosystems and lack roads, buildings, bridges, cables and other permanent manifestations of modern society. In the past such areas were considered wastelands, whose value lay only in their potential for cultivation and economic exploitation. Today, these wilderness areas are increasingly cherished as places for rest and recreation and as important areas for scientific research, biodiversity conservation and the mitigation of and adaptation to certain climate change effects. Wilderness Protection in Europe provides the first major appraisal of the role of international, European and domestic law in protecting the remaining wilderness areas and their distinguishing qualities in Europe. It also highlights the lessons that can be learned from the various international, regional and national approaches, identifies obstacles to wilderness protection in Europe and considers whether and how the legal protection of wilderness can be further advanced.
Part I. Introduction: Wilderness in Europe
1. Introduction: an international history of wilderness protection and central aim of this book Kees Bastmeijer
2. Mapping wilderness in Europe Steve Carver
3. Ecological values of wilderness in Europe Mark Fisher
4. Sociological values of wilderness in Europe Nicole Bauer
5. Economical values of wilderness in Europe Nele Lienhoop and Bernd Hansjürgens
Part II. The Role of International Treaties and European Union Law in Protecting Wilderness in Europe
6. Wilderness protection in Europe and the relevance of the World Heritage Convention Simon Marsden
7. Wilderness protection under the Bern Convention: the perspective of Europe's large carnivores Arie Trouwborst
8. Natura 2000 and the protection of wilderness in Europe Kees Bastmeijer
9. The Alpine Convention and wilderness protection Volker Mauerhofer, Ewald Galle and Marco Onida
10. Wilderness protection under the Carpathian Convention Harald Egerer, Cai Lin Gwee, Eleonora Musco and Mathilde Koeck
Part III. The Role of National Law in Protecting Wilderness in Europe
11. Wilderness protection in Austria Volker Mauerhofer
12. Wilderness protection in the Czech Republic Zdenka Krenová and Jirí Zicha
13. Wilderness protection in Estonia Richard Caddell
14. Wilderness protection in Finland Kai T. Kokko and Markku Oksanen
15. Wilderness protection in Hungary Sandor Fulop
16. Wilderness protection in Iceland Aðalheiður Jóhannsdóttir
17. Wilderness protection in Norway Ole Kristian Fauchald
18. Wilderness protection in Poland Sergiusz Urban
19. Wilderness protection in Russia Natalia Danilina, Antje Neumann and Kees Bastmeijer
20. Wilderness protection in Spain Agustín García-Ureta
21. Wilderness protection in Sweden Filippo Valguarnera
22. Wilderness protection in the United Kingdom Simon Boyle and Nicola Wheeler
23. Conclusions: the role of international, European and national law in protecting European wilderness: many options, good examples, but no guarantees Kees Bastmeijer
Kees Bastmeijer is Professor of Nature Conservation and Water Law at Tilburg University, the Netherlands, and a visiting professor at the School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. His research focuses on the role of international, European, and domestic law in protecting nature, with a particular interest in nature conservation in the Polar Regions, relationships between law and philosophical human-nature attitudes, property rights and nature and the role of law in protecting wilderness.
Contributors:
- Kees Bastmeijer
- Steve Carver
- Mark Fisher
- Nicole Bauer
- Nele Lienhoop
- Bernd Hansjürgens
- Simon Marsden
- Arie Trouwborst
- Volker Mauerhofer
- Ewald Galle
- Marco Onida
- Harald Egerer
- Cai Lin Gwee
- Eleonora Musco
- Mathilde Koeck
- Zdenka Krenová
- Jirí Zicha
- Richard Caddell
- Kai T. Kokko
- Markku Oksanen
- Sandor Fulop
- Aðalheiður Jóhannsdóttir
- Ole Kristian Fauchald
- Sergiusz Urban
- Natalia Danilina
- Antje Neumann
- Agustín García-Ureta
- Filippo Valguarnera
- Simon Boyle
- Nicola Wheeler