With the appeal of rewilding burning as brightly as ever, the number of European Young Rewilders has surged over the past three years. But the real success story is how the ambitions of this talented and passionate community are translating into meaningful action.
From peatland restoration to natural grazing, Wilderway is mobilising money for rewilding initiatives across Europe. Three critical new partnerships will help the company take its efforts to the next level, offering hope that large-scale nature recovery can be accelerated.
The partners of the Rewilding Dogger Bank coalition are working to protect and restore Dogger Bank as the ecological beating heart of the North Sea. Their efforts to raise the profile of marine rewilding in Europe make the initiative a highly valued new member of the European Rewilding Network.
The Iberian Highlands of Spain have struggled with rural depopulation and economic decline for many years. Today, rewilding is helping communities in the landscape turn these challenges into new opportunities — creating jobs, supporting local businesses, and enabling nature to become a powerful driver of local prosperity.
In the Affric Highlands of Scotland, a growing coalition of landowners, residents, businesses, and other stakeholders is driving nature recovery across the landscape. Two new official partners — including Glen Affric National Nature Reserve — will strengthen these efforts, amplifying the benefits for biodiversity, climate, and communities.
Europe’s protected areas have long played a vital role protecting wildlife and habitats. Building on this legacy, the Wilder Parks initiative will harness the power of rewilding to take this work a step further — giving natural processes more space and freedom to restore ecosystems and amplifying the benefits they provide for nature, climate, and people.
Healthy, living rivers sustain people and nature. By removing dams, reflooding wetlands, reversing channelisation, and releasing wildlife, Rewilding Europe and its partners are revitalising rivers in rewilding landscapes across the continent.
Across the world, grasslands play a vital role absorbing and locking up carbon in their vegetation and soils. Recent research from the Tarutino Steppe in Ukraine shows how rewilding can revitalise grasslands, improving soil fertility and enhancing their carbon storage potential.
Cinereous vultures have recently been released in the Rhodope Mountains of Bulgaria and the Iberian Highlands of Spain. Their return marks an important step forward in rewilding Europe’s skies — supporting the comeback of the species in Europe, strengthening the circle of life, and delivering lasting benefits to local communities.
Marking a major milestone for the global rewilding movement, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has released a comprehensive set of rewilding guidelines. Designed to accelerate nature recovery, they provide a clear roadmap for everyone working to restore healthy, self-sustaining ecosystems in line with rewilding principles.