‘A trailblazing vision of hope’: The UK leads Europe’s rewilding goals

Rewilding initiatives are already seeing success in the UK, as Scotland bids to become the world’s first ‘rewilding nation’, led by a coalition of more than 20 organisations under the Scottish Rewilding Alliance.

Meanwhile, the only rewilding group of its kind in Wales has begun crowdfunding for a bold rewilding project, set to begin in spring 2025.

Scotland delivers a clear vision for rewilding

A pathway to Scotland as a ‘rewilding nation’ was presented to government ministers at a reception last week, which was described as a ‘trailblazing vision of hope’ by the Scottish national paper, The Herald.

The Rewilding Nation Charter calls on the Scottish government to commit to 30 per cent “nature recovery” of the nation’s land and seas. 

Polls suggest that 80 per cent of Scots believe the government should have policies in place to support rewilding.

“There is consistent and huge support for nature restoration across rural communities,” says Steve Micklewright, Trees for Life’s chief executive and co-convenor of the Scottish Rewilding Alliance. 

“And importantly, for rural communities – and across different sectors, including those involving traditional rural jobs – nature restoration creates job opportunities alongside its other social and economic benefits,” Micklewright adds. 

“Reducing deer numbers to allow woodlands to regenerate requires more people with deer-stalking skills, for example, while restoring peatlands creates a whole new workforce.” 

Through public donations alone, the alliance successfully secured its ambitious £200,000 (€242,650) fundraising goal in just six days earlier this year, with all donations up to £100,000 (€121,325) matched under the UK’s Big Give Green Match Fund.

But becoming the world’s first official ‘Rewilding Nation’ requires political leadership to adopt groundbreaking legislation – and more public funds.

Scotland’s rewilding pathway is comprehensive and “includes action to empower and engage communities,” says Kevin Cumming, deputy convenor of the Scottish Rewilding Alliance and rewilding director at Rewilding Britain.

There are also “proposals around co-existing with wildlife, restoring our land with essential support for land managers and farmers, restoring our seas and nature-based economies and jobs,” Cumming says. 

Wales has launched a crowdfunder for its bold rewilding vision

In Wales, the environmental group Tir Natur launched a crowdfunding campaign last month to raise vital funds for what it describes as Wales’ largest ecosystem restoration project. 

“The crowdfunder achieved its initial target of £20,000 (€24,265) in a matter of days and currently sits at just over £45,000 (€54,596), shy of its £60,000 (€72,795) stretch target”, says Stephen Jenkins, CEO of Tir Natur.

Running until 6 January, donations of more than £50 (€60) allow you to sponsor a What3Words square of land, so you can “go there, stand there and witness the return of wild nature,” adds Jenkins.

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Tir Natur is currently the only rewilding charity in Wales and aims to address the “unprecedented biodiversity loss and the impact of climate change” exacerbated by environment misuse.

Established two years ago, Tir Natur identified a 1,000-acre site, which it plans to start rewilding in spring 2025. 

The group hopes to introduce native broadleaf trees, as well as ancient breeds of grazing cattle, ponies and pigs. 

The goal, as first reported in the Wesh news service nation cymru, is to showcase ‘natural grazing’ where the animals can roam as freely as their wild ancestors – including wild board, auroch and tarpan – once did. 

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The site already has several natural rivers, peat bogs and scarce ancient trees that could help provide vital wildlife corridors, but all of them need attention.

By offering ‘gobaith i natur’ – ‘hope for nature’ – the group plans to see the site transform into a “diverse and dynamic landscape that sees wildlife and people flourishing alongside each other”. 

Tir Natur may also introduce animal husbandry into its nature-led restoration by serving ‘wild-range meat’ to local communities, which would show how rewilding can overlap with “more traditional farm systems”.

“We will engage and work with our neighbours and local community from day one,” says Jenkins. “We are keen to hear their stories and get their insights on this land. 

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“We will also be conveying our key messages at the earliest opportunity; notably that this project will be producing food, holding water on the land and protecting communities from flooding, as well as stimulating the local economy,” he adds.

Rewilding projects see quick successes

Britain is one of the world’s most nature-depleted countries – and ranked in the bottom 25 per cent of countries globally, according to the most recent State of Nature report. This is caused by intensive agriculture and climate breakdown, which have big impacts on biodiversity. There are also threats from non-native forestry, pollution and introduced species.

Scotland has seen about a 15 per cent decline in species abundance, and notably, 11 seabird species have fallen by an average of 49 per cent since 1986, the report shows.

Likewise, land and freshwater species across Wales have, on average, fallen by 20 per cent since 1994, with 18 per cent of native species at risk of extinction.

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Despite this, rewilding projects can quickly regenerate vital natural habitats.

“Nature is our life-support system, but it’s in serious trouble,” says Karen Blackport, co-convenor of the Scottish Rewilding Alliance and CEO of Bright Green Nature.

“We need to turn this unhappy state of affairs around. And it’s not too late to act. Which is where rewilding – large-scale nature restoration – comes in,” Blackport adds.

“Rewilding can help us tackle the connected nature and climate emergencies and can create a cascade of benefits for people and local communities.”

Just north of Perth in Scotland, bumblebee populations in a 90-acre area remarkably increased 116 times to what they were two years ago, thanks to efforts by Rewilding Denmarkfield. Local communities can now enjoy the buzz of nature rather than of traffic, the charity says.

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Without the work of volunteers and landowners, the State of Nature report revealed that Scotland’s endangered red squirrel populations would have “contracted considerably” but, in fact, remained stable and even “increased in localised areas”.

Similarly, when James Hitchcock began restoring nature to a former hill farm at Gilfach in mid-Wales in 1987, he was quick to see “salmon on the river”, a multitude of birdlife in the woods, rare butterflies and even pine martens.

Celebrities have put their name to the UK’s rewilding efforts

‘Titanic’ actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio supported Scotland’s rewilding nation efforts when he posted to his 62 million followers on Instagram earlier this year: 

“With this campaign, Scotland could be a world leader in rewilding its landscapes, ensuring clean air and water, storing carbon, reducing flooding, restoring wildlife and improving the lives of locals.” 

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‘Succession’ actor and Scottish-born Brian Cox CBE also backs Scotland’s rewilding nation campaign. In an open letter to the Guardian newspaper last month, he wrote that, despite its natural beauty, Scotland is one of “the planet’s most nature-depleted countries”. 

“Centuries of overexploiting its natural resources have left us with somewhere that looks beautiful, but is dwindling day by day,” Cox added.

“This fails our hills, glens and rivers. It fails the animals we share our land and seas with. We’ve upset nature’s balance. That has a terrible impact on wildlife, but also on us. Scotland’s broken natural processes undermine our ability to cope with climate breakdown, affect food production and threaten our health.”

He pointed out, however, that there’s hope – and pride – to be found in Scotland’s rewilding progress. 

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“We now have more than 150 rewilding projects across the country. Hundreds of people are working to put things right again.” 

In the letter, Cox shone a spotlight on the residents of the Isle of Mull who have been reviving their woodlands.

lolo Williams, a BBC nature television presenter and ornithologist, also became ambassador of Tir Natur’s new rewilding campaign in Wales, saying, “I am hugely excited by their efforts to purchase land and showcase the benefits of rewilding, not only to wildlife and the physical environment, but to farming, Welsh communities and culture.”

“Nature needs this.”

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