Should Cold Environments Be Protected as Wilderness Areas?

Cold environments provide one of the last wilderness areas on Earth and have fragile ecosystems. Economic development puts these ecosystems at serious risk of damage and therefore these areas need to be protected.

Why should we protect cold environments?

Cold environments need to be protected for a range of reasons, including: Tundra and polar environments are fragile environments. Cold environments take a long time to develop and when damaged by humans, can take a significant amount of time to recover. A footprint on the tundra can last for several years.

Why are cold environments considered fragile?

Cold environments such as Western Antarctica (including peninsula) and Arctic tundra are extremely fragile, mainly due to the low temperatures severely limiting vegetation growth and thus any development will destroy the natural environment.