Although it probably doesn't show, I don't consider non-publicity and end in and of itself either. Just one of many tools that can help preserve our wilder places.
Education is another.
One of the things I've noticed over the years is that if it takes poeple a while to find the great places, it also means that they will have more opportunities to learn how to mitigate their impacts. I know this first hand. I wasn't very good at snorkelling. I'd have to put my feet down on the bottom to clear my mask. But we started at the city beach, where the sandy bottom was relatively indestructable, then a commercial tour over a 20 foot deep reef, where I couldn't touch the coral if I wanted to, and I had to learn to clear my mask.