The in Terna Tional Journal of Wilderness

IS THE PLANET SHRINKING as a result of technological advancement, or are we simply affirming how small it has always been? Is a society that is plugged in to computers being rendered incapable of escape from day-to-day responsibility, or are we gaining a newfound freedom to reintegrate the various components of our lives? When considering these questions, the importance of wild places is heightened, but, equally, their roles may need to be reassessed in both social and ecological terms. In the absence of this reassessment there may be a potentially paralyzing confusion of how to manage and maintain wilderness in a rapidly changing and increasingly information-based society. The purpose of this article is to begin to formally organize a set of discussions about the role of information and communication technology within and about wilderness. We also hope to offer a broad perspective and a series of questions through which clarity may begin to emerge. Captured within this essay are comments and thoughts shared in numerous discussions, formal and informal, including sessions at this year’s George Wright Society Meeting held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the first annual Wilderness Watch Conference held in Missoula, Montana, in July 1997. We thank all of those who helped stimulate these thoughts.