The Rewilding Ukraine team are engaged in long-term efforts to create a wilder and healthier Tarutino Steppe. The ongoing reintroduction of European hamsters will help to restore local food webs, enhance biodiversity, and boost nature-based tourism.
Rewilding Europe has just moved to a new head office on the outskirts of Nijmegen, which has fittingly been named “Wild Quarters”. Surrounded by nature, this new and inspiring space is the start of a new chapter for Rewilding Europe, positioning us well to accelerate the scaling up of rewilding across Europe.
Two groups of steppe marmots have just been released on Ukraine’s Tarutino Steppe, which is part of the extended Danube Delta rewilding landscape. Boosting the thriving population of marmots already here, the 18 animals will help to create a healthier, more functional steppe environment.
An ongoing study in the Affric Highlands rewilding landscape in Scotland has found that rewilding is having a positive impact on black grouse numbers. Collaborative efforts between local volunteers, estates, and other organisations offers hope that this iconic bird can bounce back after years of decline.
Supported by Rewilding Europe, nature-based tourism company Wildlife Adventures has grown spectacularly over the last nine years, with burgeoning benefits for nature and communities in Italy’s Central Apennines. Such support can help similar European businesses follow in the company’s footsteps.
This July, educational camps were organised in the Danube Delta and Southern Carpathians rewilding landscapes in Romania. A wide range of engaging activities, complemented by memorable wildlife encounters, immersed the children in nature and gave them an appreciation for rewilding and its benefits.
Encouraging and enabling people to live alongside bears and other wildlife in the Central Apennines of Italy is critical to the recovery of local nature. By fostering dialogue and collaborative solutions, bear-smart community committees will help to promote such coexistences across the landscape.
A loan from Rewilding Europe Capital will help Spanish start-up Nemétona to manufacture sustainable wooden construction panels, using timber sourced from forests in the Iberian Highlands. The company’s business model will benefit nature, climate, and local communities.
The recovery of nature in Croatia’s Velebit Mountains is enabling an economic shift from hunting to wildlife watching. By putting cameras in the hands of local students, and enabling them to connect with their natural environment, a recent photography workshop highlighted the social benefits of this transition.
In the Oder Delta, which is shared between Germany and Poland, many rivers have been negatively impacted by human intervention. Recent river restoration work carried out by the local rewilding team and partners on the Polish side is reinvigorating two tributaries of the Ina River, with benefits for nature and people.