We continue to make steady progress as we seek to develop businesses which will support our rewilding objectives. We’re working both to identify and support existing businesses which are relevant to our rewilding areas – and also to design some new businesses where we feel there is an opportunity to create something different and complementary.
The Rewilding Europe enterprise support team have spent time in the Eastern Carpathians, in Velebit and in Western Iberia in the past few weeks. There are many types of businesses which might be appropriate for support.
One of our favourite businesses so far is a business in the Faia Brava reserve in Portugal which is offering unusual dinners and events in nature. We were treated to a fantastic “wilderness dinner” under the stars by the banks of the Coa river. 
In Velebit the rewilding area team are developing ideas for a wildlife breeding business, which will work with the emerging “European Wildlife Bank” to breed and release wildlife into the wider Velebit area. In the Eastern Carpathians we met an Orthodox priest who is working hard to revive his community in Osadne and to develop tourism linked to nature. And we continue to explore ways to support an exciting nature-based brewery and restaurant business in the Bieszczady mountains.
The most important factor in selecting which businesses to support is their relevance to rewilding. We are therefore looking specifically at businesses which might do one or more of the following:
- Promote access to, understanding and enjoyment of a rewilding area;
- Develop / distribute products or services that can directly support rewilding activity;
- Generate capital finance that can support the development of a rewilding area;
- Generate operating finance that can directly sustain and enhance a rewilding area;
- Increase and/or diversify the economic value of wildlife and other biodiversity within a target rewilding area in a manner that increases local and wider incentives to conserve and enhance it.
We hope to launch a financing mechanism for rewilding-focused businesses in the coming months, and as ever, we invite ideas and contacts for businesses which may be relevant to Rewilding Europe.