Boundaries of identified wilderness areas in NSW under S.6 of the Wilderness Act 1987.

Under the Wilderness Act 1987, wilderness is land which: • is substantially unmodified by humans or is capable of restoration; • is of sufficient size be maintained in an unmodified state; and • is capable of providing opportunities for solitude and appropriate self-reliant recreation.

An area can be nominated as wilderness by any person or organisation. Those lands are assessed by the Department of Planning and Environment to determine whether they meet the wilderness criteria. Lands found to meet the criteria in the Act are identified as wilderness by the Department of Planning and Environment. Identified wilderness differs from declared wilderness. Identified wilderness is a recognition of an area’s values, whereas declared wilderness has statutory protection and must be managed in a way which will maintain its wilderness values.