Rewilding in the English uplands: Policy and practice

Rewilding, while gaining traction as a strategy for biodiversity restoration and ecosystem service delivery, remains controversial due to its lack of clear definition and limited empirical support. A case study of England's uplands—particularly the Lake District—highlights seven distinct approaches to rewilding, ranging from passive land abandonment to active species reintroduction, such as Eurasian lynx or beaver translocations. These approaches vary in perceived risks and opportunities, with process-based habitat restoration offering the best risk-to-opportunity ratio, while species translocation carries higher risks, including human-wildlife conflict. Key barriers to rewilding include inflexible policies, stakeholder resistance, and economic factors tied to agricultural subsidies. The study underscores that rewilding must be context-specific, carefully monitored, and aligned with local ecological and socio-economic conditions to deliver net benefits for biodiversity and society.

Sandom, C. J., Dempsey, B., Bullock, D., Ely, A., Jepson, P., Jimenez‐Wisler, S., Newton, A., Pettorelli, N., & Senior, R. A. (2018). Rewilding in the English uplands: Policy and practice. Journal of Applied Ecology, 56(2), 266–273. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13276