Frans Schepers, CEO of Rewilding Europe, looks ahead to 2026 and explains why uniting behind a shared rewilding vision for our continent is more important than ever.
Towards a wilder Europe
I imagine a Europe where we live in harmony with wolves, rivers flow freely, wild forests flourish, and people and nature thrive together. As we enter a new year, Rewilding Europe is ready to take the next bold leap towards this vision. Building on our successes in 2025, we are well placed to accelerate rewilding in Europe over the next 12 months and beyond.
The winter break gave me a welcome opportunity to reflect on the past year and the many steps we took to advance rewilding in Europe. Just before Christmas, we shared an overview of our achievements in 2025, showcasing a year rich in action, results, and growing impact. With these accomplishments as our foundation, we are prepared, energised, and ambitious to realise a wilder Europe in 2026.
A changing European context
As we look forward to the year ahead, we are also mindful of the changing context in which we work and of the potential implications for European nature. In a period of uncertainty across Europe and the wider world, protecting the nature we have left and restoring it at scale has never been more urgent. Nature is not a luxury or a pastime — it is the very foundation of our lives. Our food, our health and wealth, and our protection against escalating climate-related disasters all depend on it.
Despite nature’s fundamental role in sustaining our lives and prosperity, the European Commission appears to be turning its back on it — an approach which I believe is deeply unwise. Framed as ‘deregulation’, recent decisions risk rolling back hard-won progress under the Green Deal and weakening the environmental protections Europe urgently needs.
From corporate sustainability reporting and environmental farming obligations, to anti-deforestation measures, water quality standards, and controls on chemical pesticides, key safeguards are already being stalled or rolled back. Further deregulation risks accelerating the erosion of nature protection, preventing much-needed restoration and compromising the health and well-being of European citizens. To secure a stronger, greener, more sustainable, and climate-resilient Europe, the European Commission must chart a different course — and strengthen, not weaken, these vital protections.
An unprecedented opportunity
On a far more positive note, nature restoration is gaining momentum across Europe as EU countries develop their National Restoration Plans — the key instruments for implementing the EU Nature Restoration Law, including its legally binding targets. Member States are required to submit these plans to the European Commission by September this year. Through the European Rewilding Coalition, we have developed guidelines showing how rewilding can support countries in meeting these targets and are actively encouraging their use.
These National Restoration Plans represent an unprecedented opportunity to bend the curve of ecological degradation in Europe — and to use rewilding as a cost-effective approach to achieve this at scale. Rewilding Europe, together with our many partners, is working to demonstrate how this can be done in practice and inspire and support others in joining us and scaling up these efforts.
A fresh look at our roadmap to 2030
Within the current political context, 2026 marks the halfway point of our 10-year strategy. With the first five years behind us, we will take stock of our progress towards our goals for 2030 —identifying where we have fallen short, where we have exceeded expectations, and what needs to change in light of new developments. This spring, we will refresh our roadmap to 2030 to guide our work over the next five years.
But the question of translating ambition into action goes beyond our organisation. Is Europe moving fast enough to restore resilient ecosystems at scale and reverse biodiversity loss? Looking beyond 2030, we will define a bold long-term vision and clarify Rewilding Europe’s role in delivering what European nature needs most. In the transition towards a more nature-rich continent, we will work in solidarity with partners across Europe — and in the 25 countries where we are active — to make large-scale nature recovery a reality.
An important milestone
This year is also special for Rewilding Europe because it marks our 15th anniversary. We will celebrate this milestone during our first-ever ‘European Rewilding Festival’, which we are organising in Denmark this autumn together with the Hempel Foundation for members of our expanding European Rewilding Network. We are very much looking forward to this landmark event.
Fifteen years may seem a short period of time, yet much has changed since our foundation in 2011. Our distinct and progressive approach to nature recovery has helped rewilding move from margins towards the mainstream of European conservation. What began as a bold idea is now increasingly recognised as a credible and effective pathway for restoring nature at scale.
Rewilding Europe has evolved too — from a start-up into a scale-up initiative. Scaling up for us means amplifying impact, enabling others, and accelerating rewilding across Europe — not increasing our organisational size. Our continued innovation, exemplified by the launch of the Wilder Parks initiative last November, reflects our undimmed entrepreneurial spirit.
Things to look out for in 2026
Together with our rewilding landscape teams across Europe, we are ready to deliver big things in 2026. There is too much planned to cover everything in detail, but I have chosen ten key highlights that we anticipate over the next 12 months.
United for nature: thanks to our supporters
Right now, solidarity is vital — for Europe as a continent, and for everyone working to protect and restore nature. Only by working together can we achieve great things and create lasting impact. I am deeply grateful for the solidarity provided by our partners and donors in supporting our mission — both now and into the future.
On behalf of the entire European rewilding network, I would like to thank in particular the Postcode Lottery, Augmentum Foundation, Arcadia, the European Commission, the Ecological Restoration Fund, Tanka Foundation, Sub3 Foundation, Caring Roots, OAK Foundation, ForestPeace Foundation, Cartier for Nature, Fondation Ensemble, Foundation Alpes Sauvages, the Endangered Landscapes and Seascapes Programme, WWF Netherlands, Waterland Private Equity, the European Open Rivers Programme, Stichting Amfortas, Stichting de Hoorn, Every Act Matters, Naia Trust, Firmenich Foundation, Fondation Lemarchand, Hempel Foundation, UBS Optimus Foundation, Hogan Lovells, EnviroSustain, Oliver Wyman, ERM Foundation, Juniper Networks, Wilderway, and all our private donors and supporters. We look forward to working with you in the coming years and delivering meaningful impact on an ever-increasing scale.
Are you ready to make Europe wilder?
Regardless of age or background, everyone can play a role in scaling up rewilding and nature recovery across Europe. If you are inspired by the thought of a wilder, better tomorrow – and are keen to begin your own rewilding journey in 2026 – join us today. As Rewilding Europe works to make our continent a wilder place, we are always looking for donations and to collaborate with conservation organisations, public or private institutions, foundations, companies, and private individuals. From more wildlife to wilder lives, let’s supercharge nature recovery in Europe together.