For over a century, protected areas have been the backbone of nature conservation in Europe – safeguarding habitats and species from urban sprawl, intensive agriculture, and the relentless advance of human infrastructure. Yet no protected area can function in isolation. Healthy ecosystems depend on connectivity: on wildlife corridors, permeable landscapes, and the freedom for species to move and thrive.

Europe’s protected areas have long played a vital role protecting wildlife and habitats. Building on this legacy, the Wilder Parks initiative will harness the power of rewilding to take this work a step further — giving natural processes more space and freedom to restore ecosystems and amplifying the benefits they provide for nature, climate, and people.

Europe’s extensive network of protected areas play a vital role in conserving the continent’s natural beauty, flora and fauna. An exciting new partnership between Rewilding Europe and the EUROPARC Federation will help many to create the enabling conditions for wilder nature, delivering essential benefits for people, biodiversity and climate.

The rewilding of protected areas could take nature recovery in Europe to the next level. There are a range of measures they could employ to become wilder.

Rewilding Europe is working to accelerate the restoration of nature at landscape scale. Europe’s protected areas could play a pivotal role in the process.