Rewilding

Have you ever looked around you and thought 'is this landscape helping us tackle climate change, look after wildlife, lessen flooding, giving me space for adventure, as well as producing food and all the other things we need and want in our lives?'

There are lots of reasons why our landscapes look the way they do, but they weren’t created for coping with all the challenges we face today and going forward. So, the question is, can they do better? Rewilding is all about restoring nature to help us create landscapes that are fit for people and nature in the future.

University of Sussex - Rewilding Video Series!

Our rewilding video series feature, created by Dr. Chris Sandom of University of Sussex, explores inspiring rewilding projects across the UK as you are guided by knowledgeable experts and youth activists from a range of organisations!

This video series was inspired by Bella Lack, and produced by Tim Mein and Sam Pearce (Barford Productions). We’re hugely grateful for everyone’s contribution to the project, many thanks!

Where do the SDG's fit in?

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13 – Climate Action

In order to limit global warming to 1.5°C, global CO2 emissions need to fall by 7.6% every year between 2020 and 2030. As a result of the Global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, this might be achieved for 2020! But the changes ‘lockdown’ has had to our way of life highlights just what a challenge achieving this goal is going to be (and there is already concern about how quickly emissions are increasing again). But rewilding the land can help. Helping peatland to recover to healthy conditions means it will capture the equivalent of 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per ha per year, while woodlands can achieve 12.8 and wetlands 5.1 tonnes. If we can give nature space, it is the same as taking climate action.

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15 – Life on Land

Rewilding projects across the UK are reporting wildlife returning to the land. In the Scottish Highlands, trees, moths, butterflies and black grouse are returning to Creag Megaidh. In the Carrifran Wildwood in the Scottish Boarders the number of woodland bird species have increased from 2 to 14 species between 2000 to 2016. Between 2008 and 2015 in Wild Ennerdale in the Lake District the number of breeding territories increased for chiffchaff, blackcap, mistle thrush, grey wagtail, tree pipit, and reed bunting. At Knepp Wildlands in West Sussex, nightingales, turtle doves, and purple emperor butterflies have all made dramatic come-backs since wilder nature started to return to this English farm.

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3 – Good Health and Well-being

Spending time in wild nature is good for your physical and mental health and wellbeing. More and more people are suffering from what has been termed ‘nature deficit disorder’ and ‘ecological boredom’, especially those living in cities. Spending time in nature helps reduce stress and improves your mood, self-esteem, attention span and immune system. On top of this, in cities, rewilding creates more green space that reduces heat stress, air pollution, and lessens the impacts of flooding. Things are even better when you socialise with friends outside in nature.

Your Future

By not implementing rewilding we risk the continued loss of nature. This will mean fewer plants and animals living in our countryside, and so less for you to see and enjoy. It will mean fewer trees growing that capture carbon, alleviate flooding, and give other species a chance to thrive.

However, if a network of rewilding sites could be created across the country, supported by small wild patches in gardens, road verges, and grounds, it will let nature bounce back, reconnect us with our wildlife and wild places and bring a lot of benefits from mitigating climate change to improving our health and wellbeing.

What's the Solution?

CONNECT WITH NATURE

by spending more time with your friends outside

 

CREATE SPACE FOR NATURE

by persuading your family, school, council and local land owners to rewild parts of their land.

 

SUPPORT THE REINTRODUCTION OF SPECIES

by using your voice to support the return of wild animals like beaver, lynx, and pine marten!

 

Ask Yourself 5 Simple Questions:

Vision

What landscape do I want to live in?

Space

Where can I help nature thrive?

Charity

Can I fundraise for ReservaYT.org?

Food

Can I eat less meat?

Comminicate

Can I write to my MP to ask them to support rewilding by creating more space for nature, wildlife corridors, and reintroducing species?

Take Action on Rewilding!

Start the change...

Tips for being more aware of preventing harm to the environment through every day actions

Connect with the nature you have around you. Explore your local area and see what you can find. Not sure where to go? Google maps gives you a great opportunity to find local woodlands and rivers to check out.

Meet friends outside and explore new places

Go on a ‘wildlife crawl’! There is often more wildlife out there than first appears. Take a checklist and see how many different species of insect, bird or mammal you can spot on the way

Find a wild space and chill out. Time spent quietly can often lead to closer encounters with wildlife

If you have a garden that is fenced off, talk to your family and neighbours about creating hedgehog holes to allow wildlife to move between gardens freely

Think about the amount of land the food you are eating needs to be produced. In general vegetables use less land than animal derived products

Trade a couple of meat-based meals a week for vegetarian or vegan based recipes.

Planning a meal out? Why not head to the park with a picnic outside instead

Research how to be a rewilder. You need passion, perseverance, knowledge and skills. Developing an excellent understanding of ecology is a great first step.

Do a bit more...

Tips for taking more practical actions to reduce impact to the environment in a positive way

Take up Wild Swimming. Find wild but safe places to wild swim. It’s a brilliant way to exercise and connect to nature. More information here: wildswimming.co.uk

Take up Wild Games, sports inspired by nature

Find your local rewilding project and spend some time with them to learn how it works

Support the Reserva Youth Land Trust, Heal Rewilding or local rewilding efforts (e.g. Rewilding Sussex) by raising money to create new rewilding projects.

Write to your Member of Parliament (MP) and your local council to ask how they are creating space for nature. Highlight your interest in rewilding and encourage them to create new space for the wild by establishing and supporting new rewilding projects. Ask how they are supporting the creation and protection of hedges and trees, wild road verges, field margins, river corridors, and green bridges

If you or your family are lucky enough to have a garden, rewild it. You can find guidelines at rewildingsussex.org

Talk to your School about establishing a rewilding area on or near school grounds

Connect & Collaborate

Your World. Your Future.

Are YOU ready?

Experts, activists and philanthropists agree, one of the most effective ways of making positive global change for our planet is to CONNECT—with each other, with organisations, with charities and specialists. The bigger the project, the BIGGER the impact, and by helping you to join the dots Planetary hopes to assist with your efforts to make worldwide change!

We also want to SHARE your projects to inspire others, so please get in touch!

Project 1

Set up a team of rewilders and go and talk to land owners in your neighbourhood. Discuss with them why you want more wild nature near you and how they can help mitigate climate change and restore nature by letting some of their land go wild.

Project 2

Set up a wild swimming or walking group. Nature is best explored with friends, so get your friends and family together to arrange regular trips in to the wild. Make regular trips to local wild places and every now and again head out for a camping/canoeing/climbing trip somewhere more adventurous. Make sure you visit some rewilding sites - tourism is an important way to support local economies in wild areas.

Project 3

Creating landscapes that are fit for the future is a long-term effort so start training now to be a rewilder in the future using short courses or YouTube tutorials. Training together as a group lets you share each other’s learning and makes the process more fun.

Starting a project?

Keep us updated by tagging #yourworldyourfuture #planetaryproject

Useful Links

Rewilding Britain uk rewildingbritain.org.uk
How to rewild your garden Link rewildingsussex.org
Rewilding Europe Video youtube.com
The business case for rewilding Link rewildingeurope.com