Jan Stannard
August 2022

Nature recovery through rewilding: facts, myths and findings

Rewilding is fast becoming a mainstream practice for managing land for nature recovery in the UK, alongside traditional conservation which still plays a vital role. There are already 72 rewilding sites and 19 rewilding groups around the country. Rewilding has its origins in the United States, so in our much smaller and more densely populated nation which lacks true ‘wilderness’, rewilding is being interpreted and practiced differently, while being based on the same core concepts.

This webinar shed light on why rewilding has inspired so many to support it. It outlined what it is (and isn’t), looked at the differences between rewilding and traditional conservation, and where those practices blur, and explored the nature and variety of rewilding projects in the UK, including Heal’s plans. The webinar also touched briefly on rewilding as a way to mitigate climate change and help with adaptation, and explained how tree planting programmes and rewilding approaches differ in carbon sequestration and biodiversity outcomes.