The notion of wilderness as a conservation goal has often been considered a classic result of
imperialist practices, whereby a colonial power comes up with a goal for land use and inflicts it
on the local population. The construction of wilderness areas in the developing world could
involve as much relocation and human resettlement as a large dam project! The third wold offers
far more examples of human cultures integrated with the natural world than in the North, so the
approach that separates humanity from nature, wilderness vs civilization, may be less
appropriate.
David Rothenberg & Ramachandra Guha