2024: A wonderful year for rewilding in Europe

Rhodope Mountains

Over the last decade, the rewilding of Bulgaria's Rhodope Mountains has transformed the landscape into a showcase for nature recovery. Rewilding efforts have seen populations of hundreds of keystone herbivores such as red and fallow deer, European bison and wild horses reintroduced and restocked, with benefits for local populations of carnivores, scavengers, and other wildlife species. A report, published in May, revealed how ongoing deer releases by the Rewilding Rhodopes team are helping to strengthen the circle of life.

In late 2024, the team stepped up efforts to support the comeback of cinereous vultures, which means the future of this iconic, hugely impressive scavenger in the Rhodopes now looks even brighter. In December, a group of five European bison were released in the Zhenda rewilding site, where rewilding efforts kicked off earlier in the year.

Greater Côa Valley

The Wild Côa Network was established by the Rewilding Portugal team in 2021 to drive the development of nature-based enterprise in and around the Greater Côa Valley. In March, a survey demonstrated the network's beneficial impact and offered insights into how this impact could be scaled up going forwards. The Wild Côa Network, with over 50 business members, exemplifies the positive impact of nature-based business networks, which are now taking off across many of Rewilding Europe's rewilding landscapes.

The Rewilding Portugal team have been carrying out measures to support roe deer comeback south of the Douro since 2019. These have the potential to enhance coexistence between people and Iberian wolves by helping to reducing wolf predation on livestock. In April, a survey carried out by the University of Aveiro revealed that these measures are already having a positive impact, revealing notable in roe deer numbers within all the rewilding sites where the Rewilding Portugal team have been carrying out restoration measures. Efforts to support wildlife comeback continued with the launch of cross-border, multi-partner efforts in January to enhance the recovery of both Iberian wolf and Iberian lynx populations south of the Douro River.

Rewilding efforts are supporting wildlife comeback throughout the Greater Côa Valley. In July, the first of a network of wildlife watching hides opened in the rewilding landscape, providing visitors with an exciting window onto this recovery and supporting the development of nature-based tourism. A new guide to promote wildlife watching best practice was published by Rewilding Europe in March.

Last but not least, new ground was broken in May, when the first-ever translocation of European bison to Portugal saw eight animals arrive at the 7600-hectare Termas de Monfortinho and Herdade do Vale Feitoso estate, located south of the rewilding landscape. Managed in cooperation with the Rewilding Portugal team, the bison will boost biodiversity, enhance carbon sequestration and support the growth of nature-based tourism.

Southern Carpathians

Thanks to the ongoing work of Rewilding Romania and WWF-Romania, the free-roaming European bison population, which now numbers over 200 animals, in the Southern Carpathians rewilding landscape continues to thrive. At the start of 2024, new, multi-partner rewilding efforts kicked off, with aim of taking bison recovery to the next level and enhancing the benefits this iconic keystone herbivore delivers to local communities. Two new groups of bison arrived in the landscape in May, while partnership agreements were signed with Retezat and Domogled-Valea Cernei National Parks to support bison comeback.

The Rewilding Romania team are also exploring opportunities to expand wildlife comeback, with preliminary efforts underway to reintroduce griffon vultures in Domogled National Park.  Measures to further enhance coexistence, inspire broader engagement with rewilding, support the ongoing development of nature-based economies, and revitalise rivers, are fostering an environment where people and wildlife can thrive alongside each other.

Launched in December, a new Rewilding Romania (add link) website will encourage Romanian and international visitors to explore and gain a deeper understanding of the work being carried out by the Rewilding Romania team, offering a fresh and more hopeful perspective on the landscape.

Central Apennines

The last 12 months have been busy ones for the Central Apennines rewilding team. In February, they began operating a supplementary feeding station for griffon vultures in the Monte Velino Nature Reserve, close to two of the biggest vulture colonies in the area. A safe supply of food for the birds will support the recovery of the species, and is a step towards realising a landscape where vultures are sustained entirely by the carcasses of wild animals.

In October, a second crayfish breeding centre opened on the Gizio River, in the Genzana bear-smart community in Pettorano sul Gizio, which will enhance ongoing reintroduction efforts by the team and contribute to the wider restoration of rivers in the landscape. More great river restoration news followed, as the team oversaw the removal of five barriers on the Giovenco River - a critical step forward in restoring the natural dynamics of the river system, breathing new life into the landscape, and delivering benefits to local communities.

In the second half of 2024, the Rewilding Apennines team began the process of establishing several bear-smart community committees, which will encourage and enable residents and Marsican bears to thrive alongside each other by fostering dialogue and collaborative solutions.

Swedish Lapland

Building on work carried out in 2023, the last 12 months have seen the Rewilding Sweden step up efforts to restore rivers and surrounding landscapes. In September, the team organised a helicopter drop of 150 tonnes of sand and gravel into the Abramsån River, with the aim of accelerating the recovery of benthic fauna. These small invertebrates, which live at the bottom of rivers and lakes, are preyed on by fish and other wildlife and also help with filtration. Enabling their recovery will boost biodiversity by strengthening food webs and enhancing water cleanliness.

In October, a grant from the Open Rivers Programme enabled the rewilding team to remove four small dams in the catchment of the Vindel River, which runs through the rewilding landscape. Enabling the free flow of water will help to revitalise waterscapes and the wildlife populations they support.

Velebit Mountains

By establishing a large 60,000-hectare wildlife corridor, the Rewilding Velebit team are pioneering a new approach to wildlife management, transitioning the landscape from traditional hunting operations to wildlife watching on a broader scale. This, in turn, means that a growing number of people and communities are benefitting from the wildlife comeback that rewilding is bringing about. The availability of water in the Velebit Mountains, which are characterised by their limestone karst geology, is critical to this comeback. During the long periods of hot and dry weather this summer, local wildlife populations benefitted from the more than 30 water ponds that have been restored and constructed by the team over the years, as well as their efforts to secure and restore old wells.

To promote the benefits of rewilding, and to connect people with Velebit nature, the Rewilding Velebit team are also working hard to build engagement. At the end of June, members of the team organised two consecutive two-day photography workshops for the first batch of 16 high school students.

Danube Delta

The rewilding of Ukraine's Tarutino Steppe, which is part of the extended Danube Delta rewilding landscape, took a step forward with the arrival of two groups of steppe marmots in September. The 18 animals were translocated to the steppe from the north of Ukraine's Odessa region. This was followed shortly after by the release of 13 European hamsters, sourced from Kyiv Zoo. The ongoing reintroduction of these rodents by the Rewilding Ukraine will help to restore local food webs, enhance biodiversity, and boost the creation of a large steppe reserve of nearly 15,000 hectares.

In October, five eagle owls were released in the Ukrainian part of the Danube Delta rewilding landscape, as part of an ongoing reintroduction programme overseen by the Rewilding Ukraine team. The releases represent a significant step forward in the programme, which aims to re-establish a viable population of the birds in the landscape and enhance the overall health of the delta ecosystem.

And in July, educational camps were organised in both the Danube Delta and Southern Carpathians rewilding landscapes, with a range of engaging activities and wildlife encounters immersing 30 children in nature and giving them an appreciation for rewilding and its benefits.

Oder Delta

With its diverse landscape of forests, rivers, and wetlands, the Oder Delta - which extends over 450,000 hectares across the northern border between Germany and Poland - is particularly suited to wildlife comeback. In February, a study involving an online survey of over 2000 people across Poland and Germany, found that the majority of participants favour the return of large carnivores and herbivores - such as grey wolves and Eurasian elk - in the delta region. It also highlighted the need to continue promoting the benefits of nature recovery and the restoration of natural processes - particularly to people living in and around the delta.

Many rivers in the delta have been negatively impacted by human intervention. In June and July, restoration efforts were carried out in the Polish part of the rewilding landscape to breathe new life into stretches of two waterways in the Ina River catchment. The removal of two weirs by the Rewilding Oder Delta team and partners - complemented by efforts to recreate more natural riverbed conditions - will enhance fish migration and reproduction along 20 kilometres of waterway. Local communities, foresters, and farmers will also benefit from the healthier rivers.