Europe’s New Wild

“Rewilding is about trusting the forces of nature to restore land and sea.” – Raquel Filgueiras, Head of Rewilding Europe

As more Europeans move from the countryside to the cities, nature is reclaiming the land left behind at a crawling pace. Rewilding is the process in which abandoned land is restored to the wild in as quickly and effectively as possible.

Firstly, we make the environment more conducive to life, including the removal of redundant structures like dams and dykes to enhance the flow of rivers. Secondly, we ask people to stop managing the local wildlife population. Instead, we allow nature to restore the balance to the ecosystem through survival of the fittest. Thirdly, we reintroduce the species that died out or fled years ago to ensure that the environment will remain sustainable on its own. Lastly, we take a step back and let nature do its thing.

Local buy-in is vital to all conservation efforts like rewilding. We make sure to help the locals make the most of their new inexpensive self-sustaining natural environment through tourism. Besides financially, rewilding has many additional benefits. Dusty plains will give way to luscious forests. The clanking of machines will fade away and give rise to the chorus of birds and insects. Kids will run through muddy streams instead of grimy alleys.

In this series, we’ll be taking a look at some of the successes of rewilding all over Europe. Witness the now picturesque landscapes teeming with life where there was once little more than patches of dirt.

Saturdays and Sundays at 6 PM on National Geographic Wild (ch 220)