Written by: Andy Pattison, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies
On June 23, 2025, Leigha Schultze ’26 (environmental studies and poitical science double major) and Charlie Tourbaf ’25 (environmental economics major) presented “Redefining Wilderness: Comparative Perspectives and Policy Impacts in Protected Areas Across the U.S., Canada, and Australia” at the Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences annual conference in Minneapolis, Minn.
Their project, under the guidance of Professor Andy Pattison, examines the comparative definitions and meanings of wilderness across national parks in the United States, Canada, and Australia. This project builds upon research that Professor Pattison has already conducted and published on national parks in Mexico. Leigha and Charlie spent the spring semester as research students analyzing how variations in conceptualizations and legal definitions of wilderness in different countries influence land-management practices and policies in national parks and other protected areas.
The student selected nine national parks across the three countries. Their work began with the collection and systematization of park management plans and other relevant land-use policy documents at both local and regional scales. The project focuses on management practices across three key policy dimensions: 1) community impact: the effects on local agrarian, pastoral, and often indigenous communities, and the extent to which these parks are formally or informally co-managed with these groups, 2) fire management: approaches to fire management within the parks and their surrounding regions, 3) ecosystem-based outcomes: metrics such as biodiversity protection and other ecological indicators.
Ultimately, these students are learning to critically evaluate the data collection methods employed in national parks and protected areas, thereby gaining a deeper understanding of their role in shaping management decisions. A notable contribution the students made was to establish a novel categorical ranking system for national parks based on the degree of co-management within each park, drawing on examples from the literature.
Future research will include interviews with park officials, relevant NGO employees, research scientists, and members of local communities impacted by management decisions. The project may also expand to include additional national parks in Mexico and Nepal.