rewilding
Sign in to saveAlso known as re-wilding, wilderness engineering
thumb|right|English Longhorn|Longhorn cattle at [[Knepp Wildland in 2019]] Rewilding is a form of ecological restoration aimed at increasing biodiversity and restoring natural processes. It differs from other forms of ecological restoration in that rewilding aspires to reduce human influence on ecosystems. It is also distinct from other forms of restoration in that, while it places emphasis on recovering geographically specific sets of ecological interactions and functions that would have maintained ecosystems prior to human influence, rewilding is open to novel or emerging ecosystems which en
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50 sectionsContents
- Origin
- History
- Guiding principles
- Rewilding and climate change
- Types of rewilding
- Passive rewilding
- Active rewilding
- Pleistocene rewilding
- Trophic rewilding
- Urban rewilding
- Elements
- Ecosystem engineers
- Keystone species
- Predators
- Criticism
- Compatibility with economic activity
- Conflicts with animal rights and welfare
- Erasure of environmental history
- Farming
- Harm to conservation
- Human-wildlife conflict
- Rewilding in different locations
- North America
- Yellowstone to Yukon
- Protecting Predators
- New York
- Mexico
- Central America
- Paseo Pantera/Mesoamerican Biological Corridor
- Costa Rica
- South America
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Australia
- Europe
- European Green Belt
- Austria
- Britain
- The Netherlands
- Africa
- Namibia
- Asia
- Nepal
- Indonesia
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- External links
- Projects
- Information
thumb|right|English Longhorn|Longhorn cattle at [[Knepp Wildland in 2019]] Rewilding is a form of ecological restoration aimed at increasing biodiversity and restoring natural processes. It differs from other forms of ecological restoration in that rewilding aspires to reduce human influence on ecosystems. It is also distinct from other forms of restoration in that, while it places emphasis on recovering geographically specific sets of ecological interactions and functions that would have maintained ecosystems prior to human influence, rewilding is open to novel or emerging ecosystems which encompass new species and new interactions.
A key feature of rewilding is its focus on replacing human interventions with natural processes. Rewilding enables the return of intact, large mammal assemblages, to promote the restoration of trophic networks. This mechanism of rewilding is a process of restoring natural processes by introducing or re-introducing large mammals to promote resilient, self-regulating, and self-sustaining ecosystems. Large mammals can influence ecosystems by altering biogeochemical pathways as they contribute to unique ecological roles, they are landscape engineers that aid in shaping the structure and composition of natural habitats. Rewilding projects are often part of programs for habitat restoration and conservation biology, and should be based on sound socio-ecological theory and evidence.