I think that there are two problems in this -

Firstly, there is too much focus on protecting wilderness areas "for us": where the focus is on social usage of national parks etc... where the very act of providing access and facilities for people to enjoy and experience the wilderness degrades it. I fear that we are not doing enough to protect wilderness for it's own sake, as habitat for other animals that will not be used as a park for humans to feel good.

Secondly, and probably more importantly, there's a focus on the developing world - it's easier to point at degradation of tropical rainforests and the like, but there's an inherently racist element to this: why should the developing world have to mark of huge territories for wilderness protection, when the developed world gets off free?

Personally, I feel that projects like the re-forestation of the former great Caledonian forest in Scotland are required - we devastated that habitat in pre-industrial times... and now have the incentive to restore it.

We need to restore wilderness areas in the developed world just as much as protecting those in the developing world.