Rewilding Practices

A remarkable environmental recovery in the Czech Republic’s Brdy Protected Landscape Area has demonstrated that natural engineering can occasionally outperform human planning. For years, government officials had intended to construct a dam to restore local wetlands and improve water quality, but the project remained stalled due to bureaucratic hurdles and funding delays. In a sudden turn of events, a family of Eurasian beavers relocated to the area and constructed their own dam, achieving the exact environmental objectives the state had envisioned, and doing so in nearly the identical geographic location. The impact of this beaver-built infrastructure has been profound, successfully retaining water and filtering out pollutants that had plagued the region for years. These natural dams have effectively reversed the ecological degradation caused by artificial drainage systems dating back to the former Brdy Military District. By slowing the flow of water, the beavers have restored critical biodiversity to the wetlands, proving that non-human intervention can sometimes provide the most efficient and cost-effective solutions to complex environmental challenges. As of April 3, 2026, the success of the Brdy beavers serves as a high-profile case study for "rewilding" as a viable alternative to traditional civil engineering. National Geographic reports that the area has seen a significant resurgence in native flora and fauna since the beavers established their habitat. This story highlights a growing shift in conservation philosophy, where allowing keystone species to perform their natural behaviors is increasingly recognized as a superior method for restoring damaged ecosystems and ensuring long-term environmental stability. #Rewilding #NatureBasedSolutions #CzechRepublic

BREAKING NEWS: 3,050 hectares of cleared farmland get back into a functioning ecosystem in Australia. Taronga Conservation Society Australia has acquired a 3,050-hectare site in the Nandewar Range (NSW) to restore critically endangered Box-Gum Woodlands at landscape scale — planting up to one million native seedlings to rebuild habitat connectivity. This is not “tree planting”. It’s a full rewilding sequence: rebuild the habitat first, then reintroduce threatened species when the system can support them — including koalas, platypus, spotted-tail quolls, and regent honeyeaters. What makes this a real blueprint (and not a headline): Box-Gum Woodland has been reduced to a small fraction of its former extent, and fragmented remnants can’t sustain populations long-term. So the project is designed as a corridor-plus-safe-haven — a place where nature can start “maintaining itself” again, with less human intervention over time. The repeatable lesson for nature restoration: Protecting what’s left is no longer enough. We need active restoration of damaged landscapes — at the scale where species can move, breed, and survive shocks. A practical rewilding playbook you can copy: 1) Secure the land (or binding stewardship rights) first. 2) Restore the foundation: native vegetation structure, water function, and connectivity. 3) Control the pressure: invasive predators and weeds, before releases begin. 4) Reintroduce in phases, guided by monitoring (not by dates on a calendar). 5) Design for “self-maintenance”: less intervention as ecological function returns. 6) Fund it like infrastructure: a decade-long horizon, with governance and accountability built in. If you had one landscape in your region where rewilding at scale could change the fate of multiple species — where would you start? Read more: 1) ABC News: https://lnkd.in/d2rDY9e5 2) Taronga Habitat Positive (program page): https://lnkd.in/dMq7BCj4 4) Destination NSW: https://lnkd.in/deT8SHmF 5) Sydney Airport: https://lnkd.in/datSvTG7 Photo: patrickkavanagh, CC BY 2.0 <https://lnkd.in/dApy9Kh8>, via Wikimedia Commons

Foxholes: The Simple, Brilliant Reforestation Method You’ve Probably Never Heard Of 🌳 In Madagascar, Ecosia and The Phoenix Conservancy are restoring forests using a method called 'foxholes' and it doesn’t involve planting saplings. It immediately reminded me of half-moon Earth bunds. Simple, effective and surprisingly powerful. Instead of raising delicate nursery saplings and hoping they survive in harsh conditions, foxholes mimic how forests regenerate naturally. Seeds are scattered into shallow basins, where they compete naturally for light, water and nutrients, just as they would in the wild. The results? ⤷ 30x more trees ⤷ 2x the plant diversity ⤷ 30% lower cost than traditional tree planting This technique rebuilds ecosystems, supports local livelihoods and creates space for endangered species like the ring-tailed lemur to return. Foxholes build on restoration techniques developed in Central and South America, especially ‘applied nucleation’, which is the practice of planting small patches of forest to kickstart natural regeneration. And while the method isn’t new, Ecosia is helping it scale, connecting partners across continents, from Madagascar to Brazil. Effective restoration doesn’t need to be high-tech or high-cost. Sometimes, all it takes is a shallow hole and a deeper understanding of nature. One rooted in the same wisdom that has guided indigenous land stewards for generations: work with nature, not against it. #NatureRestoration #Rewilding #TreePlanting #Biodiversity #Conservation 🎞️ Ecosia

What’s the first image that comes to mind with "rewilding"? For some, it’s a vast, empty wilderness, fenced off from people. However, this is one of the greatest myths in conservation. A fantastic new paper in Conservation Letters (Zoderer et al., 2025) provides powerful data to show the exact opposite. After systematically analyzing 89 European rewilding projects, the authors found that people are not separate from rewilding—they are central to its success.  The paper highlights that rewilding is adaptive and practical with six distinct strategies, shaped by social and ecological drivers:  1. 🦌 Megaherbivore rewilding 2. 🌳 Multi-intervention rewilding 3. 💧 Ecosystem restoration 4. 🧬 Species breeding & reintroduction 5. 🤝 Fostering human-wildlife coexistence 6. 🌲 Wild nature protection And what defines these strategies? Just as much as ecology, it's their socioeconomic goals and the active roles they create for people. Across the projects, the most common roles are recreationists (76%), learners (58%), and entrepreneurs (51%).  In smaller projects (like "Megaherbivore rewilding"), people are central as recreationists enjoying wildlife tourism. In vast landscape-scale projects (like "Wild nature protection"), people are still central, but as entrepreneurs and stewards driving new nature-based economies. It's not "hands-off"; it's a different kind of human involvement.  The data also suggests that rewilding is an additive approach, building on the foundations of traditional conservation but explicitly adding new dimensions like process-led restoration and integrated human economies.  One of the major interpretations in my mind is that rewilding isn't about removing people; it's about re-integrating us. It’s about creating resilient ecosystems that also generate social and economic well-being. This research shows rewilding for what it truly is: a practical, adaptive, and human-centric approach to restoring our world. 🔗 See the comments for the link to the paper #Rewilding #Conservation #Ecology #Biodiversity #NatureBasedEconomies #NatureBasedSolutions

From beavers to bison: England’s rewilding revolution In a recent conversation with Mongabay’s Mike DiGirolamo, rewilding advocate and financier Ben Goldsmith described a quiet but profound transformation taking place in England’s relationship with nature. The change is visible in the return of species like the Eurasian beaver, once trapped out of the British Isles for centuries. Farmers and planners who once saw the animal as a pest are now more likely to regard it as an ally, capable of slowing floods and storing water in an increasingly volatile climate. Goldsmith traces this shift to both culture and policy. On the cultural side, a growing public appetite for “more nature and more connection” has made wildlife restoration a mainstream idea. On the policy side, the Agriculture Act of 2020 replaced unconditional farm subsidies with payments tied to ecological stewardship. Landowners in less productive upland regions, unable to compete in commodity markets, now have financial incentives to restore wetlands, plant wood pasture, and create habitat for pollinators. The results are emerging. Cattle and pigs are being reintroduced to shape diverse grassland–woodland mosaics. Wetlands are being rebuilt to hold back water, filter pollutants, and recharge aquifers. Projects in national parks and river catchments are finding new income streams in carbon credits, biodiversity offsets, and “nutrient neutrality” schemes, where water companies pay landowners to reduce fertilizer runoff. Goldsmith’s own investment venture, Nattergal Ltd, applies private capital to these efforts, restoring large tracts of land near London through a portfolio of ecological services. He calls nature “the mother of all infrastructure,” rejecting the idea that its value can be reduced to a balance-sheet figure but recognizing that monetizing some of its benefits is essential in the current funding landscape. Yet, he warns, England remains hesitant about reintroducing apex predators such as lynx or wolves, despite overabundant deer and degraded forests. He sees coexistence with “difficult” wildlife as a litmus test for a society’s ability to live in balance with nature. Other European nations have shown it is possible; Britain, he argues, will need to overcome what he calls a deep-seated “zoophobia” to do the same. From beaver ponds in Somerset to the vast saiga antelope recovery on Kazakhstan’s steppe, Goldsmith draws hope from restoration successes around the world. England’s rewilding movement, he believes, is at a pivotal moment—shaped by economics, buoyed by public enthusiasm, and poised to reclaim landscapes long written off as beyond repair. 📰 Mongabay News: https://lnkd.in/gkWs_Q5f 📸 Chrome Hill in Yorkshire, England. Image by Tim Hill

Today, March 20th, marks the fifth World Rewilding Day, a celebration of the growing conservation movement and a pivotal aspect of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Rewilding, at its core, focuses on revitalizing degraded ecosystems to become resilient and self-sustaining. This approach utilizes natural processes, aiming for decreased conservation management while not neglecting human involvement. The goal is to harmonize human presence with nature, acknowledging our interconnectedness within the landscape. At The Royal Commission for AlUla, significant initiatives are underway across our six nature reserves established in 2019. These lands, previously ravaged by overgrazing, misuse, and hunting, necessitate comprehensive restoration efforts. Our ambitious objective includes the reintroduction of the Arabian leopard into the wild in AlUla, a groundbreaking endeavor. This endeavor requires the restoration, protection, and rewilding of approximately 19,000 km2 from the ground up. This intricate, all-encompassing process involves strategic projects alongside localized endeavors. Activities range from managing protected areas, establishing and training a local ranger force, engaging and educating the community, to passive and active revegetation through diverse methods like fencing, sustainable grazing plans, and cultivating millions of native plants. Additionally, the program includes wildlife reintroduction, monitoring, and the Arabian leopard breeding program, all supported by research and collaborations with international experts and organizations. Seven years into the 17-year project, remarkable progress has been achieved. Notable outcomes include a 43% increase in vegetation cover within Sharaan National Park, flourishing populations of reintroduced gazelle, and the upcoming establishment of an Arabian leopard breeding center in AlUla. These developments mark the beginning of the rewilding journey for our expanding big cat population. Rewilding has garnered significant attention due to the narratives of hope and impactful actions it presents amidst contemporary crises. Across rewilding projects globally, the shared aspiration is to combat biodiversity loss, aiding nature's recovery, working towards a future where people and wildlife can thrive together. #RewildingTogether #HopeIntoAction #GenerationRestoration #WorldRewildingDay Ben Goldsmith

The Aravali biodiversity park in Gurugram, India, is a reforestation spectacle. Vijay Dhasmana and the Rewilders team have done a truly inspiring job to turn this 392 acres (158 hectares) landscape, previously invaded by the exotic Prosopis juliflora and littered with trash, into a diverse and thriving ecosystem. The project, in many ways, has become a model for cost-effective and scalable reforestation in the Aravalis of the National Capital Region of India. I learned many invaluable lessons from it. 1. The Rewilders deployed a nature-centric approach. Reforestation projects often combine animal and human uses in the planting mix, where native forest species are typically topped up with flowering plants, fruit trees, herbs, and medicinal plants. This is despite many of them being known to be not native to the local Aravali ecosystem. Examples are plentiful - mango, guava, pomegranate, papaya, added for color and food for human use. Not in this case, though. The ecosystem educates users on the fruits and medicines of the Aravalis. Brilliant! 2. Rewilders went hyperlocal. The team not only went native but it closely studied the nearby reference habitats to the site, collected seeds from there where possible, and planted seedlings and saplings that are not just native to India or northern India but native to the Aravalis. This is a long and painstaking process that most teams don't undertake. Kudos for undertaking this journey!! 3. The team did not plant too densely, just enough to provide sufficient resources and space for the plants to grow & compete naturally. Let birds and other critters do the rest over time. There is no race to grow the forest and ecosystem quickly. Much to learn from Vijay’s calm and philosophical demeanour too I would say is reflected in his rewilding approach. Also, a shout-out to the Ecological Restoration Alliance for pioneering such important work across India. Thank you, Vijay, for showing me around the park. I look forward to future collaborations with biosea.sg

Cats and dogs are a problem; but lynx and wolves are often desired 🤔 The role of different animals in rewilding projects can seem confusing and counter-intuitive. 🐑 Sheep are usually bad, but a small number of cows can be good 🐮 The shooting of game birds is very problematic, but the shooting of deer often seen as necessary.   The same confusion can be true for plants. Long grass can be good. Or bad. Trees may need to be cut down… so you can plant trees. Generally, you want to see what will come through in the seedbank laying dormant in the soil. So you might accelerate this by planting wildflower seeds from a different site. What’s going on with this?   The simplest explanation is diversity. Most UK land is no longer wild. Our countryside is full of monocultures. From crop fields, to tree plantations, to pastures. These can provide important services but are generally bad for biodiversity. So when rewilding, a good starting point is to bring back natural variation. For example, an overgrazed pasture can be improved through allowing grass to grow long. However, whilst this supports more biodiversity than closely grazed grass, it is still limited. The grasses prevent other plants coming through, and provide a limit to variation. So breaking through this grass and exposing the soil can create even more diversity by giving space to other plants.   Complementing this is recognising the natural features of the land. Again, our tendency in the past has been to homogenise land: drain wetlands; irrigate dry areas; level out bumps and hillocks; clear random trees and shrubs. Great if you see land as a blank canvas to standardise. Awful for wildlife. So again, the aim for rewilding is to recognise and restore natural features. For example, if an area is naturally prone to flooding, recognise its potential as floodplain or wetland. So you see a lot of projects looking to ‘rewiggle’ streams and rivers. To understand this better, and get the joy from seeing land come back to life, you need to see it action. I wrote a short blog about the livestock we have on the Wild Mosaic site: https://lnkd.in/dTmX2RnN And you can be part of this: www.wildmosaic.eco 🌱