The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP 28, kicks off today. The need to slash anthropogenic carbon emissions is urgent, yet delegates should also bear in mind that nature can and must play an essential role in fixing our climate.

Restoring the world’s wildlife populations through rewilding would deliver a huge range of benefits to people and nature. While there are many challenges to the scaling up of such rewilding, a newly published paper outlines measures that might help to overcome them.

Co-authored by several representatives of Rewilding Europe, the article outlines a new approach to monitoring rewilding progress based on levels of anthropogenic intervention and ecological integrity. This widely applicable monitoring technique can help the practical implementation of rewilding and boost conservation and restoration outcomes.