WWF Sweden together with Rewilding Europe, the Swedish Ecotourism Association, Nature Travels (UK), Anders Reisen (Germany) and other organisations call for Sweden’s government after the elections this fall to put much greater priority on better and stronger nature conservation efforts. A call that was published in a large debate article in the very influential newspaper Svenska Dagbladet.
Driving one’s own draft reindeer with a sled through the snow-covered landscape and across frozen lakes in Sweden! This is the fantastic Grand Prize (for two!) in the December draw of the Rewilding Europe Travel Club. What more can you wish for a Christmas present!
Last year we launched the Rewilding Europe Travel Club – a community of people who like nature travel and nature experiences in a wide sense.
January issue of the Spanish Quercus magazine shares interesting facts on the economic benefits of having wolves around.
With the economic value of wildlife as its special focus, a seminar called ”LARGE 2012” was held at the Museum of Modern Arts in Stockholm, Sweden on January 31, organised by the Swedish Ecotourism Association together with the ”Big Five” national large carnivore information center.
During December, representatives of the Rewilding Europe enterprise team have visited the Eastern Carpathians, Southern Carpathians and Western Iberia project sites. Enterprise development within Rewilding Europe remains at a very early planning stage, however some clear conservation business development and financing possibilities are emerging.
From 9 to 14 October, Rewilding Europe organized a Training Seminar on Wildlife Watching and Conservation Enterprise Development in Finland. Representatives of the five rewilding projects from various European countries travelled all the way up to Finland to learn from first-hand experience in the Kuhmo region, which is famous for its bear-watching facilities.
Even before reaching the hide in the Stramba Valley we see the first bears – a female with two cubs. They run up a small hill into the beech forest, hardly aware our presence. Under the guidance of a local forester we climb the stairs to the wooden hide and looking outside the window we see another female with three cubs feeding on the remains of a dead cow.
At the end of May I was on a short break in the Belgian Ardennes – a huge forested area where tourism flourishes but where nature is not in its best condition. And it’s an area that has undergone huge transformations over the last few centuries. The Ardennes were the starting point of the Industrial Revolution on the European mainland. It’s hard to believe nowadays.
After the first night’s short sleep, when three bull elephants chased us away from our open air camp and two hyenas took advantage of our absence to finish our meal, we arrived in the late afternoon at campsite two quite exhausted. However, the sight in front us quickly removed all tiredness.