Wilderness is a contested term, criticized for being unscientific, ethnocentric and unhistorical. This chapter introduces the idea of wilderness and its relevance to the Arctic context, paying attention to the challenges and dilemmas inherent in the term as well as in wilderness management. First, the notion of wilderness and how this has developed over time is presented. Second, the focus is on the Arctic and what characterizes wilderness and wilderness governance in the region. Lastly, the case of the Svalbard wilderness is introduced as an example to illustrate some of the dilemmas inherent in the wilderness concept and wilderness management in the Arctic context.