Rewilder Weekly #20
Welcome to the latest edition of the Rewilder Weekly! Just in case you're keeping count, yes, last week's Rewilder Weekly was #18 ... but here's the thing: there's so much going on for and against the wolf these days, that I put together #19 as a special wolf edition. Feel free to peruse and don't buy into the fearmongering, speak up for wolves - in fact, howl for wolves! Now then on it, let's rewild!
👉 As a reminder: If you come across stories you'd like to see featured in an upcoming edition, send them to me and I'll gladly do what I can.
1) Meet Jeremy Leggett, CEO of Highlands Rewilding
What a career, what a life, what a trajectory. Straight out of Oxford, Jeremy Leggett joined the faculty of the Imperial College and did research that was funded by (according to Wikipedia) 'BP, Royal Dutch Shell and other energy companies.' Where others get pulled into that world, he learned about global warming in the mid-80s and instead became a campaigner for Greenpeace International - then went on to lead Solarcentury and then, just four years ago, he founded Highlands Rewilding.
He just sat down for a wide-ranging interview. It's 25min long and it's well worth your time. Learn about his path, about Highlands Rewilding - and about the need for business to finally step into the world of nature restoration big time with real funds and real commitment. I wish Jeremy could kick-start (or just kick) some of those many CEOs into action.
2) New Report reveals that 25% of Europe has rewilding potential
The authors of the new report have formulated criteria to map suitable areas for rewilding by identifying large tracts of land with minimal human disturbances and the presence of key mammal species' and have thus come up with the 25% - approximately 117 million hectares. 70% of those lands are in cooler climates.
They detail regions to show where passive rewilding might be more suitable, and where active rewilding carries greater potential. The cool thing about the report is that it doesn't just look at places that already have protected status in some shape or form. It goes further - and it has to go further. Only by thinking and acting much bigger, will the EU be able to reach its nature restoration goals.
👉 Go here for post and report in full
3) Baby beavers in urban London!
You may have already seen the night-camera video clips - sheer joy. The Beaver Trust reports that "The birth of the first baby beavers in urban London in over 400 years marks the latest milestone for this groundbreaking community project. The family have already improved the water quality, biodiversity, and hydrology at the site, and by having kits they continue to prove that beavers can truly thrive alongside people in urban environments."
The beavers were reintroduced last fall to Ealing's Paradise Fields (that's about 12 miles from Buckingham Palace). This, my friends, this is exactly the path for nature matters - more nature, both flora and fauna, ever more where people live. When people experience nature as part of their daily lives, everything from the trees to the birds to the beavers - then they will start to care about nature - and about how their daily lives and actions affect nature. This is how change, on a global scale, will happen - if nature gets to move into every neighborhood.
4) A rewilding holiday I would wish on anyone 🙏
Ole Noe and Anna Johanne Sünksen have spent their summer holiday on a rewilding road trip that took them to the central and southern part of Europe. They saw Exmoor ponies, Tauros cattle and of course the European Bison. From visiting a site in the Czech Republic, Ole reports that "In less than 10 years, these three herbivore species have transformed the area from zero to hero. Today a stunning woodland savanna with an abundance of plants, insects and birds."
That was just of it. Ole shares the trip in three separate posts with lots of stunning images, insights and links. As for those links - check them out. There are more and more such rewilding tours out there. Next time, consider giving the beach chairs a miss and book yourself one of those rewilding trips - you'll like won't come back bronzed - but you'll definitely come back transformed!
👉 Go here for post one; 👉 and two; 👉 and three
5) Just a clip of a bison herd hanging out, doing their thing
Paul Whitfield is the director general of Wildwood Trust . Wildwood's focused on fighting the biodiversity crisis and state that "rewilding, through the reintroduction of keystone species, is the most powerful tool we have. These animals change the landscape by creating the space and complexity for hundreds of other species to recover and thrive."
I've spotted a post by Paul - turns out he has journeyed to Canada (Winnipeg) to learn about the impact of American bison herd restoration. In his latest post, he simply shares a video clip taken from the campsite they're at. What a view! We know that bison are ecosystem engineers - but it's one thing to know it, and it's another see it. Seeing them there among the trees, you just know how their being there creates a very different kind of forest - one that's open to the sun and that's far more diverse for both flora and fauna.
👉 Go here for post and clip
6) Anagach Woods Trust joins the Northwoods Rewilding Network
Our friends at SCOTLAND: The Big Picture report that the Anagach Woods Trust is the latest community landholding to join the Northwoods Rewilding Network. "Bordering the river Spey, Anagach is a 1,000-acre woodland, with exciting plans to create more space for water and encourage natural processes."
I'm a big fan of the Northwoods Rewilding Network - it seems to me an excellent method of bringing landholdings together under a shared vision for nature restoration. They're doing an excellent job at demonstrating that none of this is about nature versus people - the principles of the network very much have people front and center.
👉 Go here for post and article
7) A hauntingly sad story - with a happy ending for nature
In 1895, the inhabitants of Chaudun in the Hautes-Alpes of France can no longer survive in a depleted environment and sell their village to the state. Check out the documentary by ARTE - the story is incredible, the photographs haunting. Poverty and the razing of forests forced the people of Chaudon to leave home. When the village was deserted, the state sent forest rangers and they were tasked to bring the forest back. Over the course of the following thirty years they did just that.
And that's where the good rewilding news comes into the picture. As Rewilding France writes in their post, the documentary shows that today there are "newfound richness, including beautiful forests, rich in wild fauna, and the return of the wolf. The town is now home to new uses. It is a popular destination for hikers and for reconnection with nature ..." And yes, they're quite right when they say that this was an example of rewilding long before the term came into being.
👉 Go here for post and documentary
8) Come on, people, join the green revolution!
I keep seeing stories in local papers, in the US, in Canada, in the UK, and now this latest one from the Channel Islands. A local sports editor of the Guernsey Press , clearly displeased by what he calls scruffy pavements and roadsides, shared his views and some pictures, too. Needless to see I entirely disagree with his views (a bit more green is a good thing!) - and I quite liked the pictures he showed!
Yes, if those responsible adopt a new regime, one that means giving pollinators a greater chance, one that prohibits traditional weed-killers, one that opts for far less mowing - well then that means the picture's changing and people (all of us, one way or another) don't exactly leap to embrace change. But come on, people! Take a deep breath, and don't start by complaining, but by learning instead. What are those weeds? What is that new flower? Before long, more biodiversity will show up ... and if you don't like that, then at least realize that increased biodiversity is elemental for the future of a sustainable planet. But even better and ever so much simpler: Just sit on those benches. Trust me, before long you'll be smiling.
👉 Go here for post, article and pictures
We end the newsletter as always with an artwork by Chilean science illustrator and painter Mauricio Alvarez (mauricio_alvarez_art on Instagram): This time with an illustration of the Fuegian steamer duck, a flightless duck at home in southern Chile.
And that's it for this edition! For more rewilding insights and stories from around the globe, use the #rewilding hashtag and follow people, organizations and groups that are as passionate about rewilding as you are.
Have a good week!
Cheers,
D