Rewilding for nature recovery

It's easy to see the benefits of letting natural processes take the reins

To date, a total of 245 white-tailed eagles, golden eagles and red kites have been released through the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) programme to reintroduce these endangered and once-extinct species. File picture: Valerie O’Sullivan

Just 10 years ago, barely anyone had heard of the term ‘rewilding’. Just as many people were becoming aware of the severity of the biodiversity and climate crises, rewilding represented a paradigm shift in how we might approach nature restoration.

A decade ago, many thought of rewilding as a practice too radical to have any merit in Irish context. Some in the conservation community were fearful that rewilding would alienate farmers. Now, individuals, communities, landowners, and conservation organisations all across the country have been embarking on their own rewilding projects, as the concept inspires us all to rethink how conservation can succeed.