Welcome to the Global Rewilding Alliance blog…
An inspiring collection of rewilding stories, thought-pieces, reflections, news items and more.
A Sustainable Future Builds on a Positive Narrative
Rewilding is one of a number of systemic approaches that will shape our future. We might work on a specific creek or forest, a specific ecosystem or landscape, but what we do is part of a much larger effort for reviving Earth, for a new economy, a new life-style and an appropriate set of values, that will enable us to live sustainably on a rich and diverse planet – a home, that truly is a home for us and future generations. We are an important player in a much bigger game and need to live up to our possibilities.
In this thought-piece, Managing Director Karl Wagner sets out the bigger picture of what we are doing in the rewilding movement and how it connects with contemporary events.
Photo credit: Michael Studinger from NASA CC0 Images.
Rewilding in the Wake of Civil War: Maputo National Park
Location: Mozambique, Africa
In the far south of Mozambique, on sub-Saharan Africa’s east coast, lies a designated area known as Maputo National Park. Combining protected land with a marine reserve, and sitting within a landscape-scale transboundary conservation project, it exemplifies the holistic approach that is needed to address the global biodiversity crisis. It has also been the site, during the past couple of decades, for one of the more remarkable cases of nature’s revival – a story of healing in the wake of war.
Photo credit: Peace Parks Foundation
Community-led rewilding in India, Belize and the Democratic Republic of Congo
Rewilding is happening now all over the world. This week we are delving into three countries from three different continents: India, Belize and the Democratic Republic of Congo, with organisations that are rewilding tropical forests, endangered manatees and many more iconic species. We warmly welcome three new Alliance Partners: Nirman Odisha, Wildtracks and MKAAJI MPYA asbl.
Photo credit: tobiasfrei from Getty Images Pro
Rewilding helps to combat desertification
Through reinstalling natural processes, such on water, rewilding helps to reduce the risks of desertification.
How can rewilding help reduce desertification and its effects? This was the question set by the UN University in Bonn, Germany, in its assessment of seven ‘new’ land and water management approaches, of which rewilding was one. That the Global Rewilding Alliance took part in the process is a clear indication that rewilding as a relatively new perspective for the future management of land and water is receiving increasing attention outside the narrower conservation and wildlife community. This is indeed encouraging, and serves as an example of how the GRA is working towards fulfilling its mission: to mainstream rewilding in science, policy, and practice by 2030.
Photo credit: Peace Parks Foundation
Stoking nature’s fire (and the flames within)
It is Midsummer’s Eve, and as the sun slides towards the tree-obscured horizon behind me, I sit facing south, looking for ripples. My seat is a log by the edge of a large pond, in a place whose name is not important here. Beyond the water stand birches and pines, and above their green fringe rises a bald mountain ridge; but it is the pond’s topaz-blue veneer that holds my gaze…
In the first of the series of Rewilding Reflections, Joe Gray takes us on some thoughtful journeys through the wider dimensions of rewilding.
Rewilding European Bison, Golden-headed Lion Tamarins and kelp forests
In this article, we introduce you to three rewilding organisations from our network so that you can hear each week about some of the exciting success stories, challenges and ambitious aims. This week, we are rewilding Bison in the UK, our ocean’s kelp forests and find out how the recovery of Golden-Headed Lion Tamarins shows hope for the entire ecosystem in Brazil. We warmly welcome three new Alliance Partners: Wilder Blean Bison Project, AMAP Brasil and Oceanwise.
Photo credit: AMAP Brazil
Global Rewilding Communicators Network: June 2024 Edition
The Global Rewilding Communicators Network, an initiative by the Global Rewilding Alliance, aims to connect communicators active in the rewilding movement from all around the world. Our goal is to unite people across the movement, share best practices, highlight upcoming events, celebrate successes, and foster connections to better support one another. This article outlines all of the stories, ideas and next steps from the call.
Photo credit: Shazzashaw from Getty Images Signature
Rewilding African plains, Brazilian coastal islands and Indonesian native forests
Rewilding is happening now all over the world, both on land and at sea, bringing back key species and restoring entire ecosystems at all scales. We introduce 3 new Alliance Partners: Samara Karoo Reserve, Instituto Fauna Brasil and Junglo.
Photo credit: Mitch Reardon, Samara Karoo Reserve
Rewilding Hope Land to Sea Conference June 2024
‘Rewilding Hope – Land to Sea’, hosted by Climate Action North, was a two-day conference that brought an array of rewilders together to share hopeful rewilding stories, challenges and ambitions. This UK-focused conference still holds relevance at a global scale, especially because so many of the running themes, topics and challenges across the event are widely applicable, and the level of expertise was high.
Photo Credit: Slaney Maciel from Getty Images
Rewilding Jaguars in Argentina: From Individuals to Ecosystems
Location: Argentina, South America
While the rewilding movement is operating on a truly global scale, it is good to remind ourselves that the interconnected whole is one that comprises individuals. Rewilding, after all, is built on the reinvigoration of individual ecosystems. The saving of individual species. And, in Argentina, for instance, the reintroduction of individual jaguars.
Photo credit: Sebastián Navajas / Rewilding Argentina
Rewilding and the Limits to Growth
Rewilding is a timely, systemic and fundamental approach. To understand its relevance it is worthwhile to understand the context within which rewilding takes place and to not ignore the key driver behind many problems that we face. 50 years old and unfortunately more valid than ever: Limits to Growth.
Photo credit: Fernando Quevedo
Rewilding mistbelt forests, wild horses and coral reefs
Rewilding is happening now, everywhere. We introduce three Alliance Partners who are rewilding mistbelt forests, wild horses and coral reefs.
Photo credit: seread from Getty Images
Rewilded Bison are climate heroes – new research
New research from Yale University shows that 170 rewilded European Bison in Romania’s Tarcu mountains are helping to draw down and store the equivalent CO2 emissions of removing up to 84,000 average US petrol cars from the road. It turns out that European Bison can play an astonishing role in capturing carbon to mitigate the impact of climate change.
Photo credit: Daniel Mirlea
Reflections on World Rewilding Day
On Wednesday 20th March 2024, we celebrated the 4th edition of World Rewilding Day (WRD). This has been a focal point for much of our work at the GRA over the last few months and reflects the growth and transformation the global rewilding movement has undergone over the last year.
This year, the day exceeded our expectations in terms of magnitude, reach and sophistication, demonstrating the hard work that Alliance Partners all around the world have been putting in, and the hope that they have transformed into action.
2024 World Rewilding Day Theme Announced: Hope Into Action
Rewilding is a global movement, happening in diverse landscapes in every corner of the world. As we gear up for the 4th World Rewilding Day on March 20, 2024, the Global Rewilding Alliance is excited to reveal this year’s theme:
Hope Into Action
Photo credit: WWF-Australia & Tasmanian Land Conservancy
Global Rewilding News EPISODE 3
In EP3, we give you the recent rewilding success stories and hopeful news – from a COP28 round-up, the successful mangrove restoration in the world’s largest delta, all the way to the howl of wolves returning to the Rocky Mountains. This episode welcomes whales, wolves, wolverines, parakeets and many more.
Photo Credit: Prashanta Sarkar
The Community that Coexists with Elephants
Location: Kenya, Africa
Surrounding the freshwater Lake Jipe in Kenya, that teems with wildlife of all kinds, the local elephants graze the reeds alongside the local village fishermen, having made their daily walk directly through the village to get there. Elephants and humans coexist peacefully here.
As our Alliance Partner, Save the Elephants, was conducting their insightful research on elephant behaviour, they uncovered this unique coexistence between humans and elephants. Their work is essential to understanding the core of rewilding: the involvement of local communities.
As socioeconomic pressures rise, the importance of nurturing this positive mutual coexistence is key to effective conservation and rewilding efforts. The story holds insights for projects that are restoring wildlife around the world.
Photo credit: Anthony Ochieng
Location: Kenya, Africa
On the edge of Kenya’s vast Tsavo West National Park lies Lake Jipe – one of the country’s most important wetlands and home to fish, hippos, crocodiles and unique birdlife. Migratory and water birds frequent its reedy shores; these include storks, egrets, pelicans, spur-winged plovers and many more. Jipe forms a biodiversity rich ecosystem.
Photo credit: Anthony Ochieng
Rewilding Makes Good Headway at COP 28
Recap of COP 28 Achievements: Partnering with Nature for Climate Solutions We are pleased to say that at COP28, the rewilding message really achieved traction: We must partner with nature. Animals are the unsung heroes of the carbon cycle, animating the carbon cycle one paw, wing, and fin at a time! The Global Rewilding Alliance collaborated on 5...