Objective  China is a country rich in wilderness. It would be very useful to create a wilderness related perspective and adaptive management approach for China’s national parks based proteted areas system and other territorial spaces. This will strengthen scientific research and land management, thereby better protecting China’s natural beauty and the authenticity and integrity of national parks.

Methods/process  Wilderness as a protected area concept that was developed subsequent to the national park concept, starting somewhat simultaneously in both Canada and the United States around the turn of the 20th century. The 100-year history of wilderness conservation in North America has undergone continuous adaptive planning and management adjustments as concepts, environments, and conflicts have changed.

Results/conclusion  Research shows that in North America’s most representative national parks, wilderness areas typically make up more than 95 percent of the total park area. The relationship between national parks and wilderness depends on the different conservation purposes and priorities in a particular protected area. Whether wilderness is defined as a core part of a national park or as a separate protected area, the conservation value and quality of wilderness is addressed as a key factor or managed in a manner and in accordance with principles. The researcher focuses on reviewing the experiences and lessons learned in the history of wilderness adaptive management in national parks in Canada and the United States, and proposes four suggestions for China, which has similar vast coverage of wilderness resources. Including: mainstreaming wilderness values and integrating them into China’s ecological civilization construction, especially the construction of protected areas system with the core status of national parks, as well as carbon peak and carbon neutrality, biodiversity conservation policies and objectives; Strengthen the construction of the national wilderness survey and inventory, and establish the classification and identification standards for China’s wilderness; To scientifically and dynamically adjust the functional zoning of national parks by determining specific wilderness attributes and values; Drawing on international wilderness management guidelines and practices, develop a technical guide for adaptive management of wilderness areas in China, make a balanced plan between tourism development and wilderness recreation in popular national parks from the beginning, and include indigenous peoples in the main body of joint governance.