Dr. Aline von Atzigen

Sustainability-oriented research increasingly navigates between activism and analysis. How do young sustainability researchers in Switzerland see their role? We provide insights into a saguf project and initial findings.

Only few wilderness areas, representing an invaluable part of the world’s natural heritage, remain in the highly developed regions of the world. Therefore, the rewilding of landscapes is increasingly being discussed as a management option to combat biodiversity loss and reshape landscapes in regions where the need for agricultural and forest land is decreasing. As many of the regions where rewilding is being discussed are densely populated, potential wilderness would be located in the vicinity of inhabited areas, leading to a high probability of conflict between people in favour of rewilding and those opposed to it.
Rewilding projects – in addition to their ecological use and value – have to be in accordance with the values and needs of the local population and should not interfere with their plans for the region. Hence, the acceptance and support by those who live around potential wilderness areas is very important and before taking a decision about rewilding an area or not, it is crucial to learn more about the attitudes of the general public towards nature and towards the expansion of wilderness. Therefore, the present chapter reviews current knowledge on public attitudes towards nature, wilderness, and rewilding. It takes a special focus on empirical studies from the field of environmental psychology and environmental sociology, assessing the attitudes of the general population by directly asking them questions on their relation to the environment, while in other chapters (in particular Chapters 2 and 3) the historical, cultural, and political origins of wilderness were discussed.

Wilderness is very subjective and opinions on wilderness vary greatly. Here we consider wilderness as areas without any notable infrastructure and with little human influence, where nature can develop freely and natural processes are not disturbed. Wilderness is vitally important, yet it continues to decline on a global scale.
Pressure on wilderness is increasing: Infrastructure for tourism and energy production in particular is a major threat to the last remaining pristine, untouched areas in Switzerland. Wilderness is not specifically protected in Switzerland; however, some valleys contain areas with the potential to return to wilderness following abandonment and discontinued land-use. The goal of this study was to identify areas of high wilderness quality in Switzerland. Additionally, the local population's arguments for and against wilderness and views of experts in Cantons with high wilderness potential were explored.
Interviews with the local population of Maderanertal show a close bond between inhabitants and their natural environment, affecting their attitude towards wilderness. The interviews show seven different lines of argumentation regarding the free, undisturbed development of nature. Wilderness was often not understood to exclude human land and resource use. Most cantonal experts share the opinion that there is a need for untouched areas in Switzerland. However, when referring to their «own» Canton, this opinion is far less distinct.
Wilderness quality in Switzerland was quantified using four geographically measurable criteria (naturalness, human influence, remoteness and ruggedness) which were combined to form a wilderness quality map. The potential for future wilderness development was approximated using a value of «extensification» to identify areas of successively less intensive land-use. Around 17 percent of Switzerland's landmass was identified to have high wilderness quality. These areas are mostly located in high alpine and glacial regions. Areas with high wilderness development potential, following land-use extensification over several decades were mainly concentrated in the Alps and the foothills of the Alps.
The ecological potential for wilderness in the Alps is high; the attitude of the local population towards the free development of nature, however, is often sceptical. Wilderness has a chance, where both the ecological potential (wilderness quality and extensification) and the societal potential (acceptance, legal and political bases) overlap. Broad awareness of the value of wilderness, alongside the inclusion and active participation of the local population are crucial to achieve long-term wilderness protection in Switzerland. Areas of high wilderness quality and wilderness development potential need to be preserved. Protection measures which enable natural processes to develop freely e.g. forest reserves, should be extended to conserve these valuable areas.

Die naturwissenschaftliche Perspektive fokussiert auf das Phänomen von Wildnis an sich - Wildnis als natürliches, biologisches und ökologisches Phänomen. Dieses ist anhand bestimmter Eigenschaften wie zum Beispiel dem Ablaufen natürlicher Prozesse, Biodiversität oder Grösse messbar. Solche Eigenschaften definiert aber der Mensch. Aus sozialwissenschaftlicher Perspektive wird Wildnis immer in Beziehung zum Menschen gedacht. Denn: Vorstellungen und Entscheidungen, was Wildnis überhaupt ist und was sie genau umfasst, werden von der Gesellschaft entwickelt. Demzufolge ist der Mensch auch elementarer Bestandteil der Umsetzung von Wildnisgebieten. Die vorliegende Studie schliesst Lücken im Wissen zum Verhältnis Mensch-Wildnis mit folgender Herangehensweise:
1. Aufarbeiten des aktuellen Wissensstands zu sozialwissenschaftlichen Perspektiven auf Wildnis;
2. Aufzeigen der Wahrnehmung von freier Naturentwicklung am konkreten Fallbeispiel des Maderanertals mittels Interviews;
3. Erfassen der Bandbreite der Meinungen und Einschätzungen von kantonalen Fachpersonen zu unberührten Gebieten.