What is rewilding?
In an age where biodiversity loss threatens our planet's health, ecological and landscape professionals have a unique opportunity to contribute to conservation through rewilding. This transformative approach to restoration creates wild, biodiverse spaces by allowing nature to reclaim areas in an intentional and considered way. Rewilding aims to restore ecosystems by reintroducing plant and animal life that would naturally occur in an area had human disturbance never happened, or had only happened within sustainable limits. The concept has gained popularity as an optimistic approach to conservation, offering hope in our fight against environmental degradation. When done correctly, rewilding can restore ecosystems at a landscape scale while providing multiple benefits for both people and the planet.
Rewilded landscapes don't just support wildlife—they work for humans too. These vibrant ecosystems help mitigate climate change by sequestering carbon and provide protection against environmental hazards by reducing soil erosion and flood risk. For property owners and land managers, rewilded areas require less maintenance than most traditional systems of land use, while creating unique spaces that connect people with nature. Studies show that access to natural environments improves human health and wellbeing, making rewilding an investment in both environmental and personal health.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has developed principles to guide rewilding initiatives. For ecologists and ecologically-focued landscape designers, the IUCN’s guidelines can be used in our work:
Use wildlife to restore food webs and ecological interactions
Create core rewilded areas with connections between them
Ensure local engagement and community support
Focus on recovering natural ecological processes
Embrace the dynamic, ever-changing nature of ecosystems
Consider climate change impacts in design decisions
Combine scientific knowledge with local expertise
Value all species as integral parts of the ecosystem
Adapt designs based on monitoring and feedback
Shift paradigms around human-nature coexistence
Small-scale rewilding can begin with simple steps: replacing exotic plants with native or near-native species, creating wildlife corridors, reducing chemical inputs, and allowing some areas to develop with minimal intervention. When designing rewilded spaces, we balance ecological goals with human needs. This might mean creating viewing areas where people can appreciate rewilded zones without disturbing them, or incorporating educational elements that help clients understand the ecological processes unfolding in their landscape.
Reference: "The Benefits and Risks of Rewilding," International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), accessed from iucn.org
Profile:
Tom Angel is a horticultural consultant and ecologically-focused landscape designer working across the UK. Tom is a Chartered Horticulturist, Master of Horticulture (RHS), former branch chairman of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture, and worked previously as a landscape maintenance contractor. For a copy of the full dissertation please email tom@tomangel.co.uk.
To discuss any aspect of landscape consultancy or biodiversity-focused garden design, give Tom a call on 0141 432 1141 or email on tom@tomangel.co.uk