Ted Karfakis, field biologist and head of NGO and European Rewilding Network member Terra Sylvestris, explains the theory and practice behind a Greek rewilding initiative.

In the heart of Croatia’s stunning Velebit Mountains, a new way of managing wildlife is revitalising local economies and wild nature.

As we move into 2018 I am looking forward to the prospect of longer days and new life bursting forth. This time in the calendar has always been a turning point, as we say goodbye to the previous twelve months and consider the future.

Teams exchange insight and experience, while Polish history of bison reintroduction bodes well for the Romanian rewilding programme.

ARK Nature’s Circle of Life project, which aims to increase the availability of carrion in nature, began life as a groundbreaking way of helping endangered scavengers in the Netherlands. Rewilding Europe, which has already adopted the Circle of Life approach in its rewilding areas (by enabling wildlife comeback and reintroducing herbivores), is now working to scale up the project across Europe by promoting best practice, fostering dialogue and encouraging collaboration.

With sixteen participants from nine countries, the four-day course gave all involved valuable new insight into many aspects of nature education. This will enable more effective communication on rewilding and wild nature right across Europe.

With rewilding taking shape and spreading, job opportunities are increasing too. We find out what it takes to be a “rewilder”.

A keen advocate of rewilding, Tim Kasoar is a fourth year PhD student at Cambridge University in the UK. A particular interest in restoring wetland and floodplain habitats and natural flood dynamics took him to the Oder Delta rewilding area, where he witnessed firsthand the beneficial impact of river restoration on local biodiversity.

As part of the ongoing LIFE Vultures project, a growing number of griffon and black vultures in and around the Rhodope Mountains rewilding area are being tagged with GPS transmitters. The geospatial data these transmitters provide will be critical to the comeback of these magnificent yet endangered birds.

With the launch of the European Safari Company, travellers of all ages can immerse themselves in Europe’s magnificent wild nature like never before.