What is Rewilding?
Let’s be real: Sustainability is confusing. More specifically, sustainability buzzwords can be confusing and alien to those not intimately familiar with the movement. Regenerative, circular, low-waste - these terms might SEEM like they can be interchangeable but the wrath of a thousand ESG Specialists in a LinkedIn group will assure you they are not. In all fairness, it’s not all petty semantics. Each of these concepts illustrate a unique way of framing our relationship with nature's resources and ultimately, help us determine how to quantify and reconcile our impact. We’re here to help you understand these concepts by breaking them down and illustrating what they look like in practice.
First up, rewilding.
What is it?
According to the Rewilding Institute, Rewilding refers to “comprehensive, often large-scale, conservation effort focused on restoring sustainable biodiversity and ecosystem health by protecting core wild/wilderness areas, providing connectivity between such areas, and protecting or reintroducing apex predators and highly interactive species (keystone species).”
Er, okay. In simpler terms, rewilding refers to a unique form of conservation that places an emphasis on restoring overall habitats to their most natural state including native flora & fauna. This allows wildlife to flourish and systems to naturally balance and restore themselves.
How is this different from “regular” conservation? Conservation is a broad term that can apply to so many different things. The biggest differentiator for rewilding as a form of conservation is that it takes place on a larger scale- attempting to restore entire ecosystems made up of many different species of animals and plants. In comparison, many of the most popular or well-known examples of conservation engage with nature on a smaller scale - they seek to conserve one specific animal or species.
In general, most of the conversation projects we typically think of involve more active human intervention to achieve their goals. In comparison, rewilding can be considered a more passive approach. For example, let’s think about conservation projects that are focused on the protection of specific endangered or at-risk animals. In these types of conservation projects, the land used might be altered to be more attractive to this species and help aid their survival. It also might not include too many of the animals’ natural predators that they would face in the wild so that they have a better chance for survival and reproduction. Land conserved for its flora, such as a forest, might be carefully managed to make sure it doesn’t get too out of control - especially if it borders a nearby settled area. This might include measures undertaken to lower or prevent the chances of wildfires. In both of these cases, human intervention prevents nature from being fully “rewilded” to its most natural state.
It’s important to note that it can be nearly impossible for nature to be COMPLETELY rewilded to its original state based on the simple fact that there have large human populations and settlements nearby for centuries. In some cases, we might not even know what its original state was due to extensive degradation of the land and a lack of records. The main objective of rewilding is remembering that ecosystems are wholly interdependent and sustainable on their own, and allowing them get back to the most natural state possible.
Rewilding also isn’t wholly passive and doesn’t just involve sitting back and letting plants grow wild. Because, oftentimes, land chosen for rewilding projects has sustained many years of human interaction, it will take a concentrated effort to bring it back to its original state. This effort typically takes the form of reintroducing certain plants or animals that have been driven out of or made extinct in the wild. Reintroducing apex predators, large game, and keystone species has been a topic of interest for many rewilding projects. Once that effort is made, however, rewilding is typically characterized by little human intervention or regulation and instead places importance on letting ecosystems regenerate naturally.
In 1995, an initiative at Yellowstone National Park in the United States reintroduced 31 wolves to the park. Wolves, alongside cougars and bears, were the primary predators in the area before being eradicated in the early 1920s. In their absence, elk populations grew substantially and had a major impact on the vegetation and other plant-eating species. Their reintroduction was the “first deliberate attempt to return a top-level carnivore to a large ecosystem”, Yellowstone says and has been a great success thus far.
Another famous example of rewilding is Knepp Estate in West Sussex, England. It was previously a privately owned family farm that according to owners Isabelle Tree & Charlie Burrell was unsuccessful and draining money to upkeep. They decided to “rewild” the land to its original shape, which was a sharp contrast to the well-manicured estates surrounding it. With the return of natural flora and the reintroduction of large grazing mammals such as longhorn cattle and Exmoor ponies, amazing biodiversity has taken shape at Knepp Estate. It is now a breeding ground for critically endangered nightingales and turtle doves and the first time white storks have mated in England for over 400 years.
What do you think about the role of rewilding in sustainability and around your home environment?
Interested to find out where you can view some rewilding projects in the US? Check out this list of some interesting rewilding projects in national parks and reserves.
If you'd like to learn more about rewilding in North America, check out this article that breaks down some pro's and con's.
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