What is rewilding?

Rewilding is becoming a popular approach to restoring and conserving biodiversity; however, it is not clearly defined and can be quite a controversial topic. There has been an increasing uptake of rewilding in Europe and the UK and is a large part of discussions related to land management and policy. There is a lack of a single agreed definition between practitioners, academics and policy makers as well as different classifications of rewilding.

Types of rewilding

Passive or ecological rewilding is the approach that focuses on nature taking care of itself so that natural processes can shape the ecosystem. This requires little to no human intervention. Pleistocene rewilding is the approach where descendants of megafauna (large animals) lost in the Pleistocene era are reintroduced to provide their important function to the ecosystem. The most famous example of this being when bison and grey wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in the US. Finally, translocation or trophic rewilding is where species that were native to an area in recent history are reintroduced. This differs from Pleistocene rewilding because species are more recent and can be reintroduced into a local area from which they became extinct or introduced into an existing population to improve their chances of survival. Ultimately, rewilding aims to restore ecosystems to its original ecological state that existed prior to human intervention. This is achieved by protecting core wild areas, providing connectivity between them and protecting or reintroducing keystone species.

Why is rewilding important?

Rewilding helps to build ecosystem diversity and resilience, can help to reverse species extinction and plays a key part in tackling climate change. Healthy thriving ecosystems purify air, soil and water and are better at sequestering carbon for example trees, peatlands, saltmarshes all soak and store carbon dioxide.

Around 70% of the UK’s land is used for agriculture and this is negatively impacting the ecosystems that support diverse wildlife. Rewilding Britain calculates that: “restoring and protecting native woodland, peatbogs, heaths and species-rich grasslands over a total of six million hectares could sequester 47 million tonnes of CO2 per year. This is more than a tenth of current UK greenhouse gas emissions.” (Rewilding Britain).

Rewilding also has many benefits to the local economy and provides jobs leading to locally-led economic regeneration that is good for people and the planet. It leads to more people visiting the area due to the resurgent wildlife, and this has a positive knock-on effect where people learn more about the local environment and also spend their money in the local area. Wildlife watching, walking trails and water sport activities in the Lake District, for example, connects people to the local wildlife and supports the local economy.

By allowing ecosystems to re-establish such as woodlands, seagrass meadows and peatlands it provides the space and shelter for wildlife to be supported and thrive. The functions of ecosystems cannot be understated: they are vital for all life processes with healthy soil growing nourishing food, trees sequestering carbon dioxide and unpolluted rivers providing a clean water source. Moreover, restoring natural habitats benefits everyone’s health and wellbeing, as it enables people to go out and enjoy nature, and meet others in the process. It can build connections within communities who work towards a common goal together providing a sense of belonging, as well as income and opportunities for community activities.

Wild Ennerdale, Cumbria

In 2002, a partnership between the Forestry Commission, National Trust and United Utilities was created with the vision to create Wild Ennerdale: a wild valley where natural processes determined the landscape. This was one of the very first examples of rewilding in the UK; forestry tracks were allowed to grow over and the river left to go on its own path. More recently, there are plans to reintroduce beavers in the upper valley of Ennerdale in the spring of 2023. A licence is required from Natural England to release beavers but during the application process Wild Ennerdale have planned a 3-5 year public engagement period involving local landowners and communities to share and build on their knowledge and experience of beavers living in the valley. After this, a formal consultation will be held to see if the local community supports the introduction of beavers. This is an example of a rewilding project in the UK that also involves the local landowners and communities.

Why can rewilding be controversial?

When rewilding is poorly planned and managed it can have many risks for biodiversity and communities, and can be more harmful than beneficial. Stakeholder conflict can occur when the introduction of predatory animals increases the risk of losing livestock and leads to economic concerns. Introducing herbivorous animals can affect local agriculture when crops are eaten. This shows just some of the impacts of introducing new species, some of which can be foreseen and some of which are more unpredictable. The issue of the amount of land required for rewilding is also a concern as these existing landscapes may have cultural value and defended by those who live off of the land. Therefore, there are a number of reasons why rewilding isn’t always as simple as it may seem. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has a list of principles that it recommends governments and organisations follow for rewilding projects to ensure that they do not negatively impact the lives and livelihoods of local people, species or the environment.

Overall, rewilding offers us an opportunity to restore ecosystems and also leave them to restore themselves. However, in order to be successful, there needs to be a lot of prior research and consultation in the specific local area it is planned for in order to be beneficial not only for the environment but the other species and people living there too. Restoring and protecting ecosystems will be vital for tackling climate change and improving water, air and soil quality in the UK. Not only does rewilding provide the vital habitats for diverse species and wildlife, rewilding also benefits our own health and wellbeing and has the potential to boost the local economy.

Written by Georgia Earing from Eden Greenspace.

Eden Greenspace is the world's first platform which provides simple ways for one to make a direct impact in the fight against climate change and environmental degradation.

Edited by Prerna Deep

Understanding Rewilding and Its Importance