Restoring thriving communities through rewilding

We are facing one of the, if not the, greatest challenges of the 21^st century – the combined climate and ecological emergencies. The pandemic has also highlighted the importance of retaining human wellbeing and access to green space. These three issues are all linked, and nature based solutions can help with all of them. Rewilding is not a silver bullet, but in the right places it can help to restore nature, habitats, a healthy environment, and thriving communities. We need to catalyse a transition from extractive to regenerative economies. Rewilding Britain believes that we can do so by putting nature at the heart of a green economic recovery.

What is rewilding?

Rewilding is about hope. It’s popular, works well alongside traditional farming, and should be locally led. It offers a powerful solution for tackling the nature and climate emergencies, while benefiting people and communities. 

Rewilding is the large-scale restoration of nature to the point it can take care of itself – restoring habitats and natural processes, and where appropriate reintroducing missing species. Rewilding encourages a balance between people and the rest of nature so that we thrive together. It can provide opportunities for communities to diversify and create nature-based economies; for living systems to provide the ecological functions on which we all depend; and for people to reconnect with wild nature.

Rewilding is one of the tools to help mitigate the climate and ecological crises. Over half of Britain’s species are declining, with one-in-seven crashing towards extinction. A study found that the UK is one of the world's most nature-depleted countries, with on average about half its biodiversity left - far below the global average of 75%. It means the UK is in the bottom 10% globally for biodiversity.

Rewilding can be achieved by restoring native woodlands, moorlands, peatlands, rivers and marine habitats, without losing productive farmland or our farming heritage. It isn’t going to be appropriate everywhere – Rewilding Britain are calling for rewilding of 5% of Britain, with an additional 25% in nature recovery. Rewilding is not going to be suitable for our most productive farmland, and will be part of a mosaic of regenerative agriculture, forestry, and other land uses. We should consider rewilding as one element to this mosaic to give us an opportunity to reverse the declines in wildlife and to restore the ecosystems that we all rely on.

Rewilding & the Rural Economy

It is a common misconception that rewilding is about excluding people from the land, closing the gate and walking away resulting in fewer job opportunities. Letting natural processes take the lead implies that fewer people will be needed to work the land, and traditional and culturally important rural communities will be lost.

Our new Rural Economies report paints a picture, quite literally, of how a nature-based economy in the year 2030 would differ from today. Nature is rebounding in this imagined landscape: there are more saplings and scrub regenerating on the hills, the rivers are cleaner and less prone to flooding thanks to beaver reintroductions, and the peat bogs have become net carbon sinks again after being restored.

Crucially, there are also people in this wilder landscape. People who are working on the land and sea, whether they’re restoring naturally-flowing rivers, mixing stock management with wildlife guiding, running community engagement activities, carrying out monitoring and research, leading recreational fishing trips, or learning from the Norwegian model to pioneer wild field sports. And more people are visiting the area to see the resurgent wildlife, visit eco-tourism projects, and spend their money in local cafes, pubs and shops. Rewilding and ​‘re-peopling’ can and must go hand in hand.in

Analysis from the Rewilding Network shows that rewilding has resulted in a 65% increase in full time equivalent jobs during the first 10 years of rewilding. The most popular jobs being stockman, ranger, ecologist and nature guide. Volunteer numbers have increased 14-fold, and roles range from helping with works to restore natural processes to supporting education and engagement. The Knepp Estate have a fantastic group of volunteer wardens who tell visitors about the site, engage with walkers to ensure that they stay on footpaths, and monitor the vast array of wildlife including keeping an eye on the growing number of nesting white storks.

Our landscapes could support a mosaic of core and regenerative rewilding areas, alongside nature friendly and regenerative farming. Within this mosaic, we can also support nature-based enterprise zones with nature based businesses aligned to locally determined land and marine use plans.

Wild Ken Hill in Norfolk are pioneering a new approach which combines regenerative agriculture, rewilding and nature conservation. Covering 1,600ha, the project has also been featured on BBC Springwatch. Three years in, the project has increased revenues, profits and employment. Historically, the gross margin on the poor quality farmland was £375/ha, now it is £550/ha. Woodland has also been included in the stewardship payments received. Nature based tourism is being developed alongside other enterprises to diversify the project’s income streams. On average, guided tours are bringing in £35 a head with 800 tickets sold last year.

Marine rewilding projects are also supporting new jobs. The Community of Arran Seabed Trust in Scotland have been rewilding, led by the community, since 1995. Scotland’s first no take zone was established by the community to restore the marine environment in the bay. The rewilding project supports more jobs, including sustainable local fishing businesses, a new visitors centre, snorkelling trails and the education programme.

Community engagement and co-design

Rewilding should be locally led, harnessing local knowledge and experience, as well as community needs. Communities should be engaged in decisions about the use and management of land, especially where the outcome is likely to have an impact on the community. There are emerging rewilding projects actively engaging local communities in co-design. A great example is South of Scotland’s biggest community buyout – with the community of Langholm raising £3.8m to buy 5,200 acres of culturally important moorland from one of Scotland’s biggest landowners, to create Tarras Valley Nature Reserve. They now aim to buy another 5,300 acres. The project has received acclaim for its positive goals of tackling climate change, restoring nature and supporting community regeneration in this formerly thriving textile centre. Rewilding Britain has also been a steadfast supporter and are calling for more community led initiatives across Britain.

A vision for the future

For me, rewilding is about hope – hope for our struggling wildlife, for our degrading habitats and for our own wellbeing. I am inspired by the growing number of rewilding projects across Britain, and excited by the surprise outcomes that they bring. We need to rebalance our relationship with nature, and restore natural processes across some of our land. Core rewilding areas covering 5% of our land could restore dynamic, ever changing landscapes with semi-wild herds of herbivores including horses, wild boar and potentially even bison across our landscapes. Our seascapes could be thriving once more with seagrass, kelp, oyster reefs and the abundance of fish that these habitats support. Restored rivers and peatbogs will bring natural flood defences and cleaner water. Communities have direct input into local land use and have an opportunity to take part in buy-outs and co-design, and these areas now support thriving rural economies with a diversity of green jobs. This is my vision for the future, and is what drives me to continue working to catalyse rewilding across Britain. You can find out more about the growing number of projects on the Rewilding Network https://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/rewilding-network

- Sara King, Rewilding Network Co-Ordinator, Rewilding Britain.