As I say in my book of essays, The Practice of the Wild , I make a distinction between wild and wilderness. That's what the wild is. Yes, there is another sense we need to keep in mind. Thinking of wild land as unmanipulated natural habitat drags you toward the trap of pristinity. Wilderness does not have to be pristine.
Nothing is ever pristine.
Nature, natural habitats, and natural lands have gone through endless changes and disturbances over millions of years. Of course not. We just have to leave it alone and let it come back. Small wilderness will not provide the space for a lot of different creatures. Still, we must appreciate everything on every scale.