Of the 4,892 hectares of Scabby Range Nature Reserve, 4,336 hectares, or 87 percent, are declared as part of Bimberi Wilderness under the Wilderness Act 1987. Wilderness areas are large natural areas of land that, together with their native plant and animal communities, are essentially unchanged by human activity. Wilderness areas contribute to the long-term protection of biological diversity and serve as scientific reference areas.
An important purpose of wilderness areas is to provide opportunities for solitude and appropriate self-reliant recreation. Protection of natural values, however, has priority over providing for recreational use of wilderness areas.
Management of natural and cultural heritage and of introduced species and fire is carried out in wilderness areas in the same manner as other parts of the reserve network, with special attention to minimising impacts on wilderness values.
