About us

Ian Player and Magqubu’s vision of rewilding the Imfolozi Game Reserve is born. Over the following years they reintroduce Wild Dogs, Lions, Cheetahs and Elephants, as well as saving the Black Rhino from extinction by relocating individuals to other parks in Africa.

Pictured: Ian Player and Magqubu

Together they establish the Wilderness Leadership School, eventually working on it full-time. It continues today as a globally iconic wilderness experience organisation.

Ian Player meets Vance G. Martin and convinces him to develop a World Wilderness Congress, which he evolves into a global NGO with a mandate to protect wildness, wildlife, and cultures through collaboration and cooperation.

Pictured: Vance G Martin

The rewilding efforts of previous years bear fruit: Imfolozi Game Reserve becomes the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi National Park, and a wildlife corridor between the two parks is established.

Image: xxxx

The global community meets in Rio de Janeiro at a United Nations Conference on Environment and Development – the famous Earth Summit. Restoring healthy ecosystems and the functionality of the planet builds directly on the aspirations of the world community expressed in the Rio Declaration.*

In WILD10, ‘Make the World a Wilder Place’ (Spain, 2013), rewilding – the active restoration of ecological processes – is placed formally on the agenda of both the WILD Foundation and the WWC. It served as the international launch pad for Rewilding Europe.

In WILD11 (Jaipur, India) a new wave of collaboration emerges: Tom Butler and Magnus Sylvén, in collaboration with Vance Martin, create the Global Charter for Rewilding the Earth.

Rewilding projects are multiplying, but they lack a home. Vance Martin, with long-time collaborators Magnus Sylvén and Karl Wagner, establish the Global Rewilding Alliance, a catalyst capable of connecting and amplifying the growing network of rewilders.

The Alliance grows from 120 to 160 Alliance Partners, an increase of 33% and with one new Alliance Partner joining most weeks. Our target becomes protecting and rewilding 30% of the planet’s land and seas by 2030.

Image: The Antarctic Rights mission, which would greatly bring us closer to protecting 30% of our seas.

On World Rewilding Day, March 20th, the Global Rewilding Alliance launches the Collective Impact Report, the world’s first attempt to summarise the collective impact of the global rewilding movement. The organisation thrives with new volunteers, expanding the network and welcoming Frans Schepers, Gregor Pipan, Reem AlMealla and Nelson Mhlanga to the Board of Directors.

Pictured: May Scott (Deputy Director of Communications), Mark Halle (Board), Karl Wagner (Director of Communications), Dr. Reem AlMaella (Board).

The Global Rewilding Alliance launches the Animating the Carbon Cycle website to promote an exciting natural solution to the challenges of biodiversity loss, the climate crisis and climate anxiety. The website is a comprehensive resource including scientific papers, articles, reports, news items, press releases, videos and other information. At COP16 in Colombia the GRA team meets a plethora of alliance partners in person, connecting with new rewilders and expanding the movement further.

On World Wetlands Day, the Global Rewilding Alliance and ten partner organisations launch a compelling report Taking Animals into Account revealing how wild animals play an underestimated but vital role in keeping the world’s wetlands functional and resilient. In addition, the GRA surpasses 230 Alliance Partners, who influence a combined coverage of 7.2 million square kilometres of land and sea – an area twice as large as India.

The IUCN guidelines – to which Alister Scott and Magnus Sylvén contributed – position rewilding as a key movement to the broader environmental sector. They define rewilding as a "nature-led, human-enabled" process designed to restore self-sustaining ecosystems and biodiversity.