Tag: Europe

Birds, Coexistence, Connectivity, Keystone species, Reintroductions

Reviving Portugal’s vultures [Southern Europe]

Milene Matos writes: “The mighty cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus) is a true giant of the skies. It is the largest Old World vulture and one of the heaviest birds of prey in the world, with a wingspan of almost three metres. Unfortunately, the species has suffered a dramatic decline across Europe—but there is hope. Thanks to the recovery of the Spanish population, this impressive vulture is making a…” Continue reading Reviving Portugal’s vultures [Southern Europe]

Unknown's avatarRewilding Successes
Coexistence, Forests, Plants, Rewilding ourselves

Rewilding a temperate rainforest [Northern Europe]

Isabella Clarke writes: “‘We have nine different species of bat here,’ says Merlin Hanbury-Tenison as we walk through the wooded valley on his family farm in Cornwall. ‘Including rare greater horseshoe bats.’ The woodland is temperate rainforest, a globally rare habitat (just 1% of land cover). In the UK, as much as 20% of the land may have been temperate rainforest; only 1% of that total remains…” Continue reading Rewilding a temperate rainforest [Northern Europe]

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Conservation breeding, Grasslands, Reintroductions, Reptiles

Helping Catalonia’s only tortoise [Southern Europe]

Joe Gray writes: “Northern Spain is home to a number of species of animal whose presence might, to the uninformed, come as something of a surprise. Here, across the upper band of the Iberian Peninsula, grey wolves still roam in numbers, while brown bears are beginning to rebound. And, in the far north-east, within the autonomous community of Catalonia, a European tortoise is being bolstered…” Continue reading Helping Catalonia’s only tortoise [Southern Europe]

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Fish, Invertebrates, Keystone species, Marine

Glimmers of hope for kelp recovery [Northern Europe]

Nikki Oliver writes: “In Sussex, along a stretch of England’s south coast, just a few hundred metres from the busy coastal city of Brighton, a story of hope is emerging. Historic kelp forests, lost for decades, are slowly beginning to flourish once more, demonstrating the ocean’s ability to recover when it’s protected from destructive fishing activity such as trawling. Kelp, flat-bladed large brown seaweeds, often…” Continue reading Glimmers of hope for kelp recovery [Northern Europe]

Unknown's avatarRewilding Successes
Conservation breeding, Grasslands, Invertebrates, Reintroductions, Wetlands

Reintroducing a lost grasshopper [Northern Europe]

Joe Nash writes: “The Hop of Hope project from Citizen Zoo ties into wider efforts to restore ecosystems, habitats, and biodiversity in the East of England. As well as bringing about a successful reintroduction of the large marsh grasshopper (Stethophyma grossum), a Hop of Hope is a demonstration of citizen science in action. Fostering a diverse community of grasshopper-rearing…” Continue reading Reintroducing a lost grasshopper [Northern Europe]

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]

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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
Birds, Coexistence, Reintroductions

An eagle’s return to Scottish skies [Northern Europe]

Joe Gray writes: “There are patterns in life that recur at different scales. Take the shape of a stretch of rocky coastline, like that found in western Scotland. The kayaker bobbing along a short section of this sees rugged corners and sweeping curves that are repeated—on a larger scale—for a viewer up in the sky. For our aerial spectator in this comparison, let us choose an eagle—that bird of famed acuity. Actually, let us…” Continue reading An eagle’s return to Scottish skies [Northern Europe]

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Birds, Conservation breeding, Reintroductions

Return of a European native [Western Europe]

Johannes Fritz writes: “Northern Bald Ibises are whimsical birds, with their tuft of iridescent lancet feathers, their bare head with individual black patterns, and their long-curved bill. They are one of the best known and most popular birds in Europe. The species is kept in many zoos throughout Europe, where it is loved by zoo visitors due to the exotic appearance and extraordinary behaviour. But with some luck…” Continue reading Return of a European native [Western Europe]

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Keystone species, Reintroductions, Wetlands

Returning life in the Oder delta [Northern Europe]

Pernilla Hansson writes: “In the northernmost region of Germany and Poland, the Oder river forms part of the border between the countries, culminating in the large Oder delta. The delta consists of a mosaic of environments such as heaths, wetlands, forests, grasslands, and lagoons, most notably the large Stettin lagoon. Both Germany and Poland have recognised that protecting the delta is a…” Continue reading Returning life in the Oder delta [Northern Europe]

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Forests, Plants

Restoring an Irish Atlantic rainforest [Northern Europe]

Eoghan Daltun writes: “In May 2009 I sold my small house in Dublin and moved with my family to Beara, one of the peninsulas that extend, finger-like, from southwest Ireland into the Atlantic Ocean. There we bought a 73-acre farm that had long been left unused agriculturally for around a century, allowing wild habitats, especially native temperate rainforest, to develop naturally over most of the land…” Continue reading Restoring an Irish Atlantic rainforest [Northern Europe]

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