Global change in wilderness areas: Disentangling natural and anthropogenic changes

Human impacts on the Earth's ecosystems are globally pervasive. Wilderness areas, although largely protected from direct human impact at local scales, nevertheless are subject to global changes in atmospheric composition, climate and biodiversity. Research in wilderness areas plays a critical role in disentangling natural and anthropogenic changes in ecosystems by providing a network of sites where local impacts are minimized relative to adjacent, more intensely managed areas. Three case studies are discussed to illustrate the role of wilderness areas in global change research and, specifically, how paleoecological data provide baseline documentation of variability in climate and ecosystem processes.