We have a new government

So it’s time to show your support for rewilding. We’ve read the manifesto pledges for nature and climate and we want to see their plans. Talk of hope and change needs to be turned into action and we need to feel the ambition.

Rewilding as a solution

Nature in Wales is struggling, and efforts to address it lag well behind those of other nations. But when extractive practices stop and nature is allowed to lead, the recovery can be astonishing – both for nature and for people.

A recent survey of rewilded land in Scotland found that suitable bird habitat had expanded more than fivefold, while numbers of bumblebees and butterflies rose tenfold. At the Knepp Estate, in West Sussex, breeding birds have risen by 900%, while species such as the Turtle Dove and Purple Emperor butterfly have returned. Rewilding at sea shows similar success. The Community of Arran Seabed Trust recorded lobster and scallop numbers quadrupling in no-take zones, while the Cuckoo Ray has reappeared after a thirty year absence; meanwhile, the biodiversity-rich waters are drawing ecotourism and strengthening local fisheries.

So what is stopping us replicating these successes?