Our Client
What initiated this project?
For the purpose of our honours project, we were provided with a research question by Rewilding Europe [45]. More information about them and their projects follows below.
We see a future where wild nature is recognized as a fundamental part of Europe’s heritage and an essential element in a modern, prosperous, and healthy society [45].
- Rewilding Europe
How Rewilding Europe Operates
First, organizations such as Rewilding Europe are looking for a suitable piece of land. In many cases, the landscapes that are used are abandoned. Abandonment is a worldwide phenomenon: Young people do not want to work in agriculture anymore, because the work is not profitable and so they move into the cities. In some countries such as Portugal, abandonment creates serious threats: The abandoned farmland is soon covered by young forest or dense scrub – The ideal conditions for a forest fire to spread. In the recent, dry summers, this has become even more dangerous. For this reason, Rewilding Europe wants to introduce herbivores. The animals can regulate the problems by grazing and the creation of mosaic structures builds natural fire barriers. This means that there are differences in the plant patterns between bushes, which burn rather well, and grasslands, which do not let the forest fires through [45].
Another purpose of rewilding is to make regions economically strong without using them in a nature-destructive manner. For example, the introduction of some species gives rise to touristic activity in the region. Therefore, rewilding can help nature and people to solve local problems.
“One day, when you tell people that you’re going on safari, I want them to ask you which continent.” [45]
- Simon Collier
The current rewilding projects are pioneering the field. Therefore, it is very experimental and the outcomes of reintroducing a species to habitat can never be predicted for sure. The resulting insecurity creates a variety of obstacles that the movement has to overcome. Many of these are rooted within the Common Agricultural Policy of the EU, which often stands in the way of rewilding projects - Although keeping the biodiversity of Europe is one of the explicit goals of this policy [38].
This is the reason why Rewilding Europe asked our team to provide them with some insight into the political backgrounds that the EU provides. This website should help not only Rewilding Europe but a diversity of people to understand what the relation between the EU and biodiversity is. Besides getting an understanding of the topic, we give some insight into how everyone can do their part in helping nature to become wilder again.
To learn more about Rewilding Europe and the work they do, click here.
Some Projects by Rewilding Europe
