Research Note INT-RP-475
The Wilderness Threats Matrix: A Framework for Assessing Impacts
Research Summary

This report proposes a comprehensive framework for assessing threats to wilderness. The framework can be depicted as a matrix with potential threats to wilderness as columns and wilderness attributes intended for preservation as rows. Cells in the matrix represent the impacts of each threat on each attribute.

The most generally significant threats to wilderness are recreational use and its management, livestock grazing and its management, mining, fire and its management, exotic species introductions and invasions, water projects, atmospheric pollutants, and practices on adjacent land. The primary wilderness attributes of concern are air, aquatic systems, rocks and landforms, soils, vegetation, animals, ecosystems and landscapes, cultural resources, and opportunities for wilderness experiences.

The threats matrix will help wilderness planners, managers, and researchers. It can be used by planners during the scoping process, in describing the current management situation, in developing assumptions about the future, and in assessing the impacts of alternative management actions. It provides a comprehensive overview of monitoring needs. It can be used to assess research and management priorities for individual wildernesses, regions, and the National Wilderness Preservation System.

The matrix was used to assess threats to wildernesses in the Forest Service's Northern Region (northern Idaho and Montana). The significance of and knowledge about threats were assessed by a team of wilderness experts. The most significant perceived threat was fire and its management; aquatic systems were the wilderness attribute considered to be most threatened. The difference between significance and knowledge was greatest for fire and its management, suggesting that this is the threat most in need of further research. Ecosystems, landscapes, and aquatic systems are the wilderness attributes most in need of further research.

Acknowledgments

This report profited greatly from the assistance of the Northern Region's Wilderness Interdisciplinary Team, particularly their assessment of the significance of and knowledge about threats to wilderness.

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Title: Research Summary and Acknowledgments: INT-RP-475 - The Wilderness Threats Matrix: A Framework for Assessing Impacts
Electronic Publish Date: October 31, 1996
Expires: Indefinite
Last Update: January 15, 2002

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