The Premise
Traditional
conservation
practices
on their own
are not enough
to achieve
significant wildlife
recovery
in Britain
Rewilding underway at Eastern Moors, nr Sheffield 6500 ha
Rewilding
The large-scale restoration of ecosystems
to the point
where nature is allowed to take care of itself
The Garden of England
Comparative wildness in national parks (Map courtesy of Steve Carver, Univ of Leeds) Haweswater, Lake District National Park
Above Edale, Peak District National Park
Shifting Baseline Syndrome
Gamekeeper kill stats from the 6,500 acre Glengarry estate in Scotland 1837-1840
Stoat and Weasel 301 Pine marten 246 Wildcat 198 Polecat 106 Feral domestic cat 78 Badger 67 Otter 48 Red fox 11
Hooded crow 1431 Raven 475 Kestrel 462 Buzzard 285 Red kite 275 Goshawk 63 Hen harrier 63 White-tailed eagle 27 Osprey 18 Golden eagle 15 Magpie 2
BBMJ
.01 .1 1 10 102 103 104 105 106 AREA km2
1ha 10ha 100ha
MA
NA
GEM
ENT
INTE
NSI
TY
LOW
HIGH
Okavango
Yellowstone Oostvaardersplassen
Ennerdale
Polessie
Range of ‘typical’ UK nature reserves SSSIs, Wildlife Trusts, RSPB, NNRs, land within NIAs managed for conservation etc.
The rewilding spectrum
Knepp
REWILDING = Bigger, better, more joined up
Key principles of rewilding
1. People are key
2. Size matters
3. Think “natural processes”
4. Marathon with a sprint start
Rewilding underway at RSPB Haweswater 500 ha
Challenges – rate of change
Welsh hillside after 20 years Welsh mountainside after 30 years
Carrifran Wildwood, Southern Uplands, Scotland
1999 2015
Bechstein’s Bat
Nightingale Purple Emperor
Turtle Dove
Brown Hairstreak
Rewilding means more wildlife – Knepp example
What else can rewilding at scale provide? 1. Multiple “public goods”, including reduced flood risk, improved water quality, carbon
sequestration, access and educational opportunities, health and wellbeing benefits, etc.
2. A nature-based economy bringing income and opportunities which encourage people
to stay and thrive in rural areas
3. Healthy land and water in better condition for future generations.
Rewilding now being planned at Broughton Estate, Skipton – 1200 ha
Challenges: food
“We can’t feed a growing population if
we start rewilding”
• We waste 40% of the food we produce to eat
• Rewilding projects will normally still produce food – and many other societal benefits
• Meat consumption is predicted to fall dramatically due to synthetic “meat” technology
Rewilding planning underway with farmer cluster in Nar Valley, North Norfolk – 2000 ha
Current large scale rewilding initiatives in Britain
Red circled areas: large rewilding
“vision areas” -
• Yearn Stane
• Southern Uplands
• Peak District
Blue dots: farm cluster or estate-
scale rewilding >1000 acres