Category: Mammals

Birds, Forests, Keystone species, Mammals, Plants, Reintroductions, Reptiles

Rewilding Rio: The story of Tijuca NP [South America]

Lara Norberto Renzeti writes: “At the heart of Rio de Janeiro, one of the most iconic cities in the world, lies a 3958-hectare expanse of imposing, green-covered hills. The Tijuca Forest has witnessed a history of devastation followed by a slow, though unsteady, process of restoration. By the 19th century, what was once a fragment of the Atlantic Forest had become a patchwork of areas dedicated to timber…” Continue reading Rewilding Rio: The story of Tijuca NP [South America]

Unknown's avatarRewilding Successes
Forests, Grasslands, Mammals, Plants, Wetlands

Woodland regeneration in Scotland [Northern Europe]

Rory Richardson writes: “NatureScot’s Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve (NNR) is a spectacular upland site covering nearly 4000 hectares and straddling the east and west Highlands of Scotland. A mosaic of habitats stretches from the shores of Loch Laggan to the high summit plateau. Ecological restoration has changed the landscape of Creag Meagaidh over the last 35 years, and the reserve…” Continue reading Woodland regeneration in Scotland [Northern Europe]

Unknown's avatarRewilding Successes
Forests, Mammals, Reintroductions

Boosting red squirrels’ chances [Northern Europe]

Richard Bunting writes: “On the remote Drimnin Estate, overlooking the Sound of Mull on Scotland’s west coast, a new population of red squirrels is settling into their new home. Earlier this year, six squirrels were released there by rewilding charity Trees for Life, with the enthusiastic backing of the landowners. The release is the latest step in a pioneering project which is offering hope for the long-term…” Continue reading Boosting red squirrels’ chances [Northern Europe]

Unknown's avatarRewilding Successes
Grasslands, Invertebrates, Mammals, Reintroductions, Wetlands

Dung beetles on a coastal reserve [Western Europe]

Cyril Forchelet writes: “Created in 1976 on the edge of the town of Lacanau, in Gironde, France, the Étang de Cousseau nature reserve covers 900 hectares. The reserve, which is managed by the environmental body SEPANSO Aquitaine, is located 50 km west of Bordeaux and 3 kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean. It leans against the eastern side of the coastal dune belt. The reserve is made up of…” Continue reading Dung beetles on a coastal reserve [Western Europe]

Unknown's avatarRewilding Successes
Birds, Grasslands, Mammals, Plants

Hobart’s grassy woodland restoration [Australia]

Erica Nathan writes: “Hobart, Tasmania, is a small city recessed into nearby river and mountain. At its urban edge is the Domain—some two hundred hectares that, in colonial times, served as grazing paddock for Government House. Walking from the centre of the city, or from the harbour’s edge, it takes ten minutes to reach the Domain’s southern boundary, a further thirty minutes to get to the summit, and…” Continue reading Hobart’s grassy woodland restoration [Australia]

Unknown's avatarRewilding Successes
Coexistence, Conservation breeding, Mammals, Reintroductions

Saving wildcats in the Cairngorms [Northern Europe]

Claudia Bell writes: “Within the Cairngorms National Park in the Scottish Highlands, 19 European wildcats have recently been released through a conservation project known as Saving Wildcats. This is part of efforts to bring the species back from the brink of extinction in Scotland. In 2019, the International Union for Conservation of Nature concluded that the wildcat population in Scotland was ‘non-viable’…” Continue reading Saving wildcats in the Cairngorms [Northern Europe]

Unknown's avatarRewilding Successes
Amphibians, Birds, Grasslands, Mammals, Plants, Rewilding ourselves, Wetlands

Rewilding ourselves: A project of hope [Midwest USA]

Laurie Lawlor writes: “The eight-acre lot in the small, rural town of Eagle, Wisconsin, appeared anything but promising. Over the years, the dumping ground of rusty cans, bottles, and old tires had become so choked with buckthorn and other invasive plants that nobody knew what was inside the municipally owned property between the local elementary school and the public library. Students traveling on foot…” Continue reading Rewilding ourselves: A project of hope [Midwest USA]

Unknown's avatarRewilding Successes
Connectivity, Grasslands, Mammals, Reintroductions

The hyena returns [Southern Africa]

Peace Parks Foundation staff write: “Something remarkable is happening in Mozambique, a country on the east coast of sub-Saharan Africa. In 2018, the National Administration for Conservation Areas, which directs the management of national parks and reserves, signed a fifteen-year agreement with Peace Parks Foundation to restore, develop, and manage Maputo National Park, in the…” Continue reading The hyena returns [Southern Africa]

Unknown's avatarRewilding Successes
Birds, Connectivity, Fish, Mammals, Plants, Rivers, Wetlands

Rewilding itself: the Union Canal [Northeast USA]

Sally Zaino writes: “Connecting the Susquehanna River to the Schuylkill River with a canal was William Penn’s idea, before 1700—but construction was not begun for another hundred years. The canal was to be known as the “Golden Link”. However, construction suffered many stops and starts, while engineers struggled to create a canal that, from west to east, would rise 92 feet and fall 311 feet, that was prone…” Continue reading Rewilding itself: the Union Canal [Northeast USA]

Unknown's avatarRewilding Successes
Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Mammals, Reintroductions, Rivers, Wetlands

Life’s revival in a natural harbor [Northeast USA]

Judith S Weis writes: “During much of the previous century, the New York–New Jersey (NY–NJ) Harbor Estuary was severely degraded due to the effects of heavy industry, including the unregulated discharge of raw sewage and all kinds of industrial pollutants into the water, as well as the filling-in of marshes for development (e.g., three major area airports were built in this way). Major…” Continue reading Life’s revival in a natural harbor [Northeast USA]

Unknown's avatarRewilding Successes
Connectivity, Mammals

Underpass for elephants on Mount Kenya [East Africa]

Bruce Byers writes: “We need to move toward a spatial pattern in which human activities are scattered in a sea of natural ecosystems, rather than the reverse—natural ecosystems embedded in a human-dominated landscape, as now in most places. Ecological connectivity between wild ecosystems needs to increase to maintain biodiversity in the face of, and for resilience to, climate change, and…” Continue reading Underpass for elephants on Mount Kenya [East Africa]

Unknown's avatarRewilding Successes1 Comment
Coexistence, Mammals

Rewilding hope for a big cat [East Asia]

Huang Qiaowen writes: “I am a young Chinese woman named Kerry. Like many of us, I have found a 2013 photo of a mountain lion walking under the Hollywood sign to be captivating. When I look at it, it’s like seeing an iconic legend of modern society. In China’s capital, Beijing, we are working hard to create the same kind of legend. Since 2017, our organisation, the Chinese Felid Conservation Alliance…” Continue reading Rewilding hope for a big cat [East Asia]

Unknown's avatarRewilding Successes
Grasslands, Keystone species, Mammals, Reintroductions

Rewilding the southern Great Plains [Western USA]

Jay Tutchton and Nicole Rosmarino write: “Nearly 25 years ago, the Southern Plains Land Trust (SPLT) sprouted, based on a simple idea: let’s buy as much land as we can, just for the wild ones. SPLT’s vision is to bring back the diversity and abundance of wildlife of the American Serengeti by rewilding the shortgrass prairie of the southern Great Plains. What does “rewilding” mean to us? Let’s start with…”
Continue reading Rewilding the southern Great Plains [Western USA]

Unknown's avatarRewilding Successes
Coexistence, Forests, Mammals

The Mali Elephant Project: Tellem’s story [West Africa]

Tellem writes: “Many people believe that I am of the Dogon people of Western Africa, but in fact, I am Tellem. At least according to the colonists. Years ago, when they first came to our lands they asked us who we were. We told them, “We are from here,” which in their ears made the sound “te-lem.” And that is how we got our name, The People from Here. As one of the people from here, I am especially…” Continue reading The Mali Elephant Project: Tellem’s story [West Africa]

Unknown's avatarRewilding Successes