ABSTRACT
Historically, wilderness has been one of the main sources of ‘the other’ in western society. Wilderness was what lay beyond the boundaries of a ‘civilised’, ordered landscape. Since the beginning of the nineteenth century however, wilderness and wild areas began to assume a more favourable impression under the influence of the romantic and transcendentalist movements which favoured wild nature as an antidote to an increasingly industrialised and technocratic society. More recently, the conservation and commodification of wilderness has become entwined with the growth of recreation and tourism which has seen national parks established not only for outdoor and adventure recreation enthusiasts but also as one of the main sites in which eco-tourism occurs.
