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.

The innovative rewilding efforts of the LIFE+OZON project, a member of the European Rewilding Network, are already benefitting biodiversity in the Sonian Forest, located just outside Brussels. These efforts will culminate in the opening of a green bridge this summer.

The results of the four-year study, which focused on the feeding behaviour of reintroduced European bison, Konik horses and Highland cattle in and around the Kraansvlak reserve in the Netherlands, have important implications for rewilding initiatives across Europe.

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.

This year’s final European Rewilding Network webinar, held in December, saw members from eight European countries come together online to discuss and learn the importance of leaving carrion in nature.

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

A six-month study by two University of Lille students reveals the huge transformative potential of the site bought with a loan from Rewilding Europe Capital.

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.

Rewilding Europe is delighted to welcome four new members – one from Denmark, one from Lithuania, and two from the United Kingdom – to the European Rewilding Network (ERN). Displaying impressive growth since its launch at WILD10 in Salamanca in October 2013, the network now comprises 61 members from 26 European countries (including Rewilding Europe’s eight operational areas).