Making Europe a Wilder Place
Rewilding ecosystems across Europe is one of the best ways of tackling our current climate and biodiversity emergencies. It does not only benefit wild nature, but it also enhances the wide range of benefits that such nature gives all Europeans – from clean air and water, carbon sequestration and fertile soil, right through to flood protection, climate change resilience and enhanced health and wellbeing.
We can give nature a helping hand to heal by creating the right conditions – by removing dams that are no longer needed from rivers, by allowing natural forest regeneration, and by reintroducing species that have disappeared. Then we should step back and trust nature to manage itself. In the future, Europe is wilder place, with much more space for wild nature, wildlife and natural processes shaping the landscapes. Wild nature has become a fundamental part of Europe’s heritages and is an essential element in a modern, prosperous and healthy society, creating new sources of income and pride amongst European citizens.
This funding will allow important wildlife species to come back, like the Iberian lynx, the Wild horse and the Griffon vulture. These species play a critically important role and is part of the restoration of entire ecosystems.
The Project in action
Rewilding is about the mass restoration of ecosystems, supporting wildlife comeback, and creating space where nature can govern itself without human intervention. Large areas of wild nature and abundant wildlife across our continent are created as inspirational showcases, benefitting both nature as people by boosting local economies where alternatives are scarce.
The Future
In the future Europe is a wilder place, with much more space for wild nature, wildlife and natural processes shaping the landscapes. Wild nature has become a fundamental part of Europe’s heritages and is an essential element in a modern, prosperous and healthy society, creating new sources of income and pride amongst European citizens.
“We need to do more than simply protect the nature we have left. We need to restore nature by rewilding large areas across the world.”
Frans Schepers – Managing Director and co-founder of Rewilding Europe
Milestones
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Rewild 25 hectares: Portugal (Iberian Lynx)
CompletedWith this, we will rewild 25 hectares in Portugal to support the Iberian Lynx which is now confined to southern Spain and Portugal. To do this, we create more wild nature through natural grazing, which favours conditions for prey species, like the rabbit.
Protected species with this milestone
- Iberian Lynx
- European Rabbit
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Rewild 63 hectares: Portugal (Iberian Lynx)
DonateThis Milestone will allow us to rewild 63 hectares in Portugal to help the Iberian Lynx recover on a larger territory, as now they are confined to southern Spain and Portugal. Rewilding Europe’s goal is to support the comeback of both species by creating more wild nature through natural grazing, which favours the conditions for prey species like the rabbit.
Protected species with this milestone
- Roe Deer
- Cork Oak
- Iberian Lynx
- Bee Orchid
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Rewilding 125 hectares: Bulgaria (Wild Horses), Portugal (Iberian Lynx)
UpcomingAlong with rewilding 125 hectares for the Iberian lynx, Rewilding Europe is working to bring back the wild horse to where it once belonged, into the European landscapes, where it used to be a vital part of the ecosystem for hundreds of thousands of years. Wild horses play a key role in ecosystems through their grazing behaviour, seasonal migration, daily routes, trampling and latrines. For rewilding, we are using primitive breeds that are most closely related to the extinct European wild horse.
Protected species with this milestone
- Griffon Vulture
- Iberian Lynx
- Red Deer
- Wild Horse
- Tongue Orchid
- Marbled Newt
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Rewild 250 hectares: Bulgaria (Wild Horses), Portugal (Iberian Lynx)
UpcomingWild horses play a key role in ecosystems through their grazing behaviour, seasonal migration, daily routes, trampling and latrines. For rewilding, we are using primitive breeds that are most closely related to the extinct European wild horse. With this Milestone, we can rewild 250 hectares and bring them back into the ecosystem, along with helping the Iberian lynx by creating more wild nature for them
Protected species with this milestone
- Iberian Lynx
- Wild Horse
- Fallow Deer
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Rewild 625 hectares: Italy (Marsican Bear), Bulgaria (Wild Horses), Portugal (Iberian Lynx)
UpcomingThis milestone will enable us to rewild 625 hectares for the benefit of the Iberian lynx, the Wild horse and the Marsican Bear, which is both the most iconic and most endangered. The current Marsican brown bear population (50–60 individuals) is relatively safe inside the Abruzzo region’s nature parks, outside the park boundaries they are at risk from poaching, poisoning and traffic collisions. Rewilding Europe is working with local partners to develop large “coexistence corridors” by connecting the local economy with wilder nature in five corridors collectively covering more than 100,000 hectares.
Protected species with this milestone
- Wild Horses
- Iberian Lynx
- Marsican Bear
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Rewild 1,250 hectares: Italy (Marsican Bear), Bulgaria (Wild Horses), Portugal (Iberian Lynx)
Upcoming1,250 hectares rewilded to support the Iberian lynx, the Wild horse and the Marsican bear. The wildlife corridors created to protect the Marsican Bear from poaching, poisoning and traffic collisions by linking the national parks of Abruzzo, Molise and Lazio and Majella to the Sirente Velino Regional Park. Actions in the field are focused on reducing bear mortality and conflict, promoting co-existence, supporting nature-based enterprises in and around corridor areas, and raising awareness amongst local communities and people visiting the area.
Protected species with this milestone
- Wild Horses
- Iberian Lynx
- Marsican Bear
- Cinereous Vulture
- European suslik
- Apennine chamois
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Rewild 2,500 hectares: Bulgaria (Vulture, Wild Horses), Italy (Marsican Bear), Portugal (Iberian Lynx)
UpcomingThis Milestone will allow us to rewild 2,500 hectares to support the Iberian lynx, the Wild horse and the Marsican Bear by bringing them back into their ecosystems and keeping them safe. It will also help to reintegrate Vultures into their European habitat. Two centuries ago, Egyptian, bearded, cinereous and griffon vultures were among the most common breeding bird species in central and southern Europe. A decreasing availability of food, coupled with habitat loss, persecution and poisoning, saw vultures disappear from most European countries. Rewilding Europe is focusing on the recovery and further expansion of the black and griffon vulture populations in the Rhodope Mountains (Bulgaria) as well as the Greater Côa Valley (Portugal), and soon in Velebit Mountains (Croatia) and Central Apennines (Italy). The main aim is to restore food-chains (Circle of Life) – through restocking prey populations and reducing poisoning and poaching.
Protected species with this milestone
- Wild Horses
- Dwarf mountain pine
- Marsican Bear
- White-clawed crayfish
- Iberian Wolf
- Greek tortoise
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Rewild 6,250 hectares: Bulgaria (Vulture, Wild Horses), Italy (Marsican Bear), Portugal (Iberian Lynx)
UpcomingThis Milestone will make it possible for us to rewild 6,250 hectares and help key species, such as the Iberian lynx, the Wild horse, the Marsican bear and the Vulture to be reintegrated into their habitat. Rewilding Europe will create more wild nature through natural grazing, promoting the spread of prey species, creating wildlife corridors to keep the species safe from poaching, poisoning and traffic collisions, and restocking food-chains that encourage the expansion of these species.
Protected species with this milestone
- Wild Horses
- Iberian Lynx
- Marsican Bear
- Vultures
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Rewild 12,500 hectares: Bulgaria (Vulture, Wild Horses), Italy (Marsican Bear), Portugal (Iberian Lynx)
UpcomingThis Milestone will make it possible for us to rewild 12,500 hectares and help key species, such as the Iberian lynx, the Wild horse, the Marsican bear and the Vulture to be reintegrated into their habitat. Rewilding Europe will create more wild nature through natural grazing, promoting the spread of prey species, creating wildlife corridors to keep the species safe from poaching, poisoning and traffic collisions, and restocking food-chains that encourage the expansion of these species.
Protected species with this milestone
- Rewilding 12,500 hectares