Rewilding Europe’s tenth anniversary celebrations have seen five Dutch rewilding sites simultaneously receive official European Rewilding Network certification. Paying testament to their efforts and expertise, this milestone occasion highlights the huge progress made in Dutch rewilding.
A 1 million euro special donation, received by Rewilding Europe Capital at the annual “Goed Geld Gala” of the Dutch Postcode Lottery yesterday evening, will see support for European nature-based businesses scaled up.
At the annual “Goed Geld Gala” of the Dutch Postcode Lottery, held at Amsterdam’s Carré Theatre on March 4, Rewilding Europe received a contribution of 900,000 euros. This will allow Rewilding Europe’s efforts to be significantly scaled up.
One of the earliest showcases for rewilding, this pioneering site in the Netherlands has delivered huge ecological, economic and social benefits.
The newly opened island, one of five created in the Markermeer as part of the Netherlands-based Marker Wadden rewilding project, attracted crowds of nature lovers. By creating new habitat and improving water quality, the project is reconnecting people with wild nature and boosting biodiversity.
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.
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.
The innovative and ambitious Dutch restoration project becomes the network’s 54th member.
On April 24 this year, one of the first members of the European Rewilding Network – the European Bison Project in Kraansvlak – celebrated its 10 year anniversary. In this blog, European Rewilding Network Exchange Officer and bison project coordinator Yvonne Kemp shares an inspirational story about the developing relationship between European bison and the people of the Netherlands.
Today, the official start of the third bison reintroduction project in the Netherlands was attended by Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands, on behalf of Rewilding Europe. Together with pupils from local schools, Princess Laurentien officially opened the project in the Veluwe area by unveiling a bison board on which the children had put personal messages for the bison encouraging them to thrive well.