These are the proceedings of the 7th World Wilderness Congress, an event held just seven weeks after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the United States. More than 100 registered delegates were forced to cancel, and many others who wanted to attend were unable to do so. Despite the seriousness of the times, the Congress convened in an atmosphere of hope and belief that wilderness is a fundamental, irreplaceable value and substance to all humanity. Wilderness gives us strength, sanity and inspiration–we should do all in our power to protect it.