SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE : 

The evidence is clear:

 we need rewilding

The Global Rewilding Alliance works to put rewilding at the centre of environmental talks and actions. This is why we are commissioning, convening, and publishing top-class science on the importance of rewilding.

Our scientific research is now showing that restoring wildlife populations to significant, near historic levels has the potential to supercharge climate mitigation, facilitating carbon capture up to 12 times and reducing emissions by billions of tonnes annually.

This is called: “Animating the Carbon Cycle (ACC)” and it is rivaling the top 5 mitigation measures proposed by the IPCC.

Our research published in Nature Climate Change is among the top 5% most impactful scientific papers on Altmetric.

Altmetric measures the impact of scientific publications by tracking all the online attention to published research – policy documents, mainstream news outlets, social media, blogs, Wikipedia, online reference managers and more. See Almetric.com.

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Rewilding Research

Animating the Carbon Cycle Report cover image<br />

Animating the Carbon Cycle

This 2022 report introduces the idea that rewilding animal species can play a central role in addressing the climate crisis by enabling whole ecosystems to draw down vast amounts of carbon. It’s an accessibly written, long version of the more scientific papers shared here.

nature climate change magazine cover

Scientific paper in Nature Climate Change, March 2023

This seminal paper draws together the evidence from subjects experts on the carbon impact of rewilding nine animal species to near historic levels. It’s already in the top 5% of academic papers on the Altmetric impact tool, showing the level of interest in this new idea.

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Rewilding, a serious candidate for stabilising the global climate

An accessible briefing for busy people, summarising the main ideas of the longer papers shown opposite.

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Nature Climate Change paper takes the world by storm: Impact report

This 2-page report summarises the impact of this seminal paper, showing how it has been published worldwide in 70+ outlets and translated into many languages.

The Global Rewliding Alliance is working with a variety of experts to systematically compile, review and share the evidence on the benefits of rewilding. The first results of this will be available in January 2024. Watch this space, sign up to receive updates, and connect with us on your preferred social-media platform, where we will share the news.

Our research has been published in 70 mainstream outlets, 50 countries and translated in 12 languages. Find out more here…

This really is game-changing research and adds to the plethora of supporting research, that evidences that trophic rewilding offers great hope as a nature-based climate solution.

Cain Blythe – CEO of Ecosulis

Meet 9 climate heroes

Top scientific journal Nature Climate Change published for the first time how rewilding 9 animal species (or groups of species) can transform the ability of ecosystems to absorb carbon, and facilitate global climate mitigation.

Having these nine species on our team is key to achieving our most ambitious climate goals. And this is just the beginning, more animals are proving to be climate heroes! Nature offers us a “no-tech” alternative that is effective, economical, and available to scale up right now!

Tap or hover over each of them to find out how they’re helping!

Sea Otter

Sea Otters

Sea Otters protect Kelp forests by controlling Sea Urchin populations. These vibrant ecosystems can absorb 12 times more CO2 than unprotected ones, making otters vital in combating the climate emergency.
Musk Oxen

Musk Oxen

By grazing on young trees and compacting snow, Musk Oxen in the Arctic prevent tundra turning into dense forest. This unique behaviour maintains the reflective surface of snow, reducing heat absorption and delaying snowmelt, safeguarding Arctic regions.
African Forest Elephant

African Forest Elephants

Acting as forest engineers, these elephants promote the growth of carbon-storing hardwoods by consuming vegetation. Each elephant can help capture 9000 tonnes of carbon, highlighting their significant contribution to rainforest sequestration.
Shark

Sharks

Sharks maintain balance in marine ecosystems by controlling prey populations, enabling seagrass meadows to thrive. Seagrass captures carbon rapidly, making sharks essential in reducing CO2 levels in oceans and promoting a healthier marine environment.

Whale

Whales

The presence of whales in oceans triggers a vital chain of events, enhancing carbon capture. Their bodies store carbon, and by bringing nutrients to the surface they stimulate marine life, making them crucial in the oceanic carbon cycle and climate mitigation.
Ocean Fish

Ocean Fish

Marine species, especially fish, capture and store 1.5 billion tonnes of carbon sink beneath the ocean's surface annually. Allowing fish stocks to recover would allow these species to contribute significantly to our planet's carbon balance.
Grey Wolves

Grey Wolves

Wolves control herbivore populations, enhancing carbon storage in North American boreal forests. Reintroducing wolves reshapes ecosystems, turning them into effective carbon sinks, exemplified by the transformation in Yellowstone National Park.
American Bison

American Bison

Once hunted to near extinction, Bison are now being reintroduced, restoring grasslands and acting as a powerful carbon sink. Their presence enhances biodiversity and preserves ecosystems, making them a vital part of the fight against climate change.
Wildebeest

Wildebeest

Wildebeest grazing prevents wildfires in the Serengeti. Their population recovery has turned the landscape from a carbon source to a carbon sink, absorbing the equivalent of the fossil fuel emissions of Tanzania and Kenya combined.

Rewilding is regarded as the most natural and cost-effective natural climate solution addressing simultaneously biodiversity degradation and climate change in an integrated manner.

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