|
| | | Forum Newbie
Group: Administrators
Last Login: 3/4/2008 5:21:32 PM
Posts: 5, Visits: 27 |
| | Please find attached Draft #2 of the revised guidelines for Cateagory 1b. These incorporate comments on the firts draft that were submitted on the Wilderness Task Force website, emails sent directly to WILD, or provided at IUCN's Almeria Summit. Next steps and a schedule for additional revisions to these guidelines will be clarified at the IUCN-WCPA Steering Committee meeting in Yellowstone National Park in September. There will be at least one more opportunity for revision prior to submission of the guidelines to the general assembly at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Barcelona, Spain in 2008. Cyril Kormos - VP for Policy, The WILD Foundation cyril@wild.org
|
| |
| | | Forum Newbie
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 9/23/2007 8:51:11 AM
Posts: 1, Visits: 8 |
| Dear Cyril,
congratulations on your work!
looking over the recent Draft Revisions 1b (August 07), I would like to remark on the terminologiy MOTORIZED ACCESS in "Primary Objectives". This leaves room for access by MECHANIZED VEHICLES such as Montain Bikes, doesn´t it?
I suggest replacing MOTORIZED ACCESS by MECHANIZED ACCESS. There are all kind of interesting yet annoying contraptions that people might think of using in Wilderness. (I once reported on off road roler blades!) Anything with wheels should be defined as MECHANIZED.
sincerely, Till Meyer,
Munich, August 30, 2007
|
| |
| | | Forum Newbie
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 11/2/2007 1:06:16 PM
Posts: 3, Visits: 6 |
| | It is important to differentiate motorized from mechanized and certainly mechanized is broad and includes things like bikes. This distinction however can be reduced to absurdity. Mechanized emplies a "machine" but just how do we define that? In the physics sense of Greek simple machines (fulcrums and all) a paddle is a machine and your hand is the fulcrum. Is a row boat a machine and a canoe not. A row boat has oarlocks which are fulcrums. More complex rowing boats have sliding seats and springs. What of no wheels. Many kayaks have pulleys with cables and wheels to drop and control rudders. Is this mechanized. Sailboats may not have motors but are more mechanized. What about dog sleds, hot air ballons and other systems of harness and tension straps. At the end of the day mechanized and motorized help you get into the ballpark of an idea, but you need to speficially list which activities are acceptable and which are not. Of course you can't anticipate everything so then you also have to decided is something prohibited unless permitted or permitted unless prohibited? Specifically listing what is permitted gets you closer again but finally there has to be some judgement left to the site manager. For example let's say that you decide to permit kayaks in the wilderness (even florescent pink ones ouch!) . Now the company hobiecraft makes a kayak that includes peddles and a propellor. A long time kayaker who has lost the use of one arm wrote to ask if he could use this in the park I administer. The park I manage is "non-mechanized" and this is clearly a machine but......... really is the park's ecological integrity affected by this? Is anyone's wilderness moment sullied given that the propellor is underwater and unseen? Someone with a hiking boot is having more impact. And yes, if you allow a peddle kayak then why not a peddle boat, or an electric motor etc. Tough calls this, I don't think you can ever completely define it in language.....someone has be be able to make judgement calls around the nuances. |
| |
|
|