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. 2021 Dec;35(6):1882-1893.
doi: 10.1111/cobi.13730. Epub 2021 Jun 4.

Guiding principles for rewilding

Steve Carver  1 , Ian Convery  2 , Sally Hawkins  3 , Rene Beyers  4 , Adam Eagle  5 , Zoltan Kun  6 , Erwin Van Maanen  7 , Yue Cao  8 , Mark Fisher  9 , Stephen R Edwards  10 , Cara Nelson  11 , George D Gann  12   13 , Steve Shurter  14 , Karina Aguilar  15 , Angela Andrade  10   16 , William J Ripple  17 , John Davis  18 , Anthony Sinclair  4 , Marc Bekoff  19 , Reed Noss  20 , Dave Foreman  18 , Hanna Pettersson  21 , Meredith Root-Bernstein  22   23   24 , Jens-Christian Svenning  25   26 , Peter Taylor  9 , Sophie Wynne-Jones  27 , Alan Watson Featherstone  28 , Camilla Fløjgaard  29 , Mark Stanley-Price  30 , Laetitia M Navarro  31   32 , Toby Aykroyd  33 , Alison Parfitt  9 , Michael Soulé  34
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
  • 2 National School of Forestry, University of Cumbria, UK.
  • 3 Institute of Science, Natural Resources and Outdoor Studies, University of Cumbria, UK.
  • 4 Biodiversity Research Centre, Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
  • 5 The Lifescape Project, London, UK.
  • 6 Wild Europe, Győr, Hungary.
  • 7 Rewilding Foundation, Diepenveen, The Netherlands.
  • 8 Institute for National Parks, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
  • 9 Wildland Research Institute, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
  • 10 Commission for Ecosystem Management, IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.
  • 11 W.A. Franke College of Forestry & Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, USA.
  • 12 The Institute for Regional Conservation, Delray Beach, Florida, USA.
  • 13 Society for Ecological Restoration, Washington, D.C., USA.
  • 14 White Oak Conservation, Jacksonville, Florida, USA.
  • 15 Agencia Metropolitana de Bosques Urbanos del AMG, Guadalajara, Mexico.
  • 16 Conservation International Colombia, Bogota, Colombia.
  • 17 Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA.
  • 18 The Rewilding Institute, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.
  • 19 Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA.
  • 20 Florida Institute for Conservation Science, Melrose, Florida, USA.
  • 21 Sustainability Research Institute, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
  • 22 UMR CESCO, CNRS, Musée National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.
  • 23 Center for Applied Ecology and Sustainability, Santiago, Chile.
  • 24 Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
  • 25 Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
  • 26 Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
  • 27 School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, UK.
  • 28 Freelance Ecologist, Findhorn, UK.
  • 29 Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
  • 30 WildCRU, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
  • 31 German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Leipzig, Germany.
  • 32 Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany.
  • 33 Wild Europe, Brussels, Belgium.
  • 34 Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, D.C., USA.
Free article

Guiding principles for rewilding

Steve Carver et al. Conserv Biol. 2021 Dec.
Free article
. 2021 Dec;35(6):1882-1893.
doi: 10.1111/cobi.13730. Epub 2021 Jun 4.

Authors

Steve Carver  1 , Ian Convery  2 , Sally Hawkins  3 , Rene Beyers  4 , Adam Eagle  5 , Zoltan Kun  6 , Erwin Van Maanen  7 , Yue Cao  8 , Mark Fisher  9 , Stephen R Edwards  10 , Cara Nelson  11 , George D Gann  12   13 , Steve Shurter  14 , Karina Aguilar  15 , Angela Andrade  10   16 , William J Ripple  17 , John Davis  18 , Anthony Sinclair  4 , Marc Bekoff  19 , Reed Noss  20 , Dave Foreman  18 , Hanna Pettersson  21 , Meredith Root-Bernstein  22   23   24 , Jens-Christian Svenning  25   26 , Peter Taylor  9 , Sophie Wynne-Jones  27 , Alan Watson Featherstone  28 , Camilla Fløjgaard  29 , Mark Stanley-Price  30 , Laetitia M Navarro  31   32 , Toby Aykroyd  33 , Alison Parfitt  9 , Michael Soulé  34

Affiliations

  • 1 School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
  • 2 National School of Forestry, University of Cumbria, UK.
  • 3 Institute of Science, Natural Resources and Outdoor Studies, University of Cumbria, UK.
  • 4 Biodiversity Research Centre, Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
  • 5 The Lifescape Project, London, UK.
  • 6 Wild Europe, Győr, Hungary.
  • 7 Rewilding Foundation, Diepenveen, The Netherlands.
  • 8 Institute for National Parks, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
  • 9 Wildland Research Institute, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
  • 10 Commission for Ecosystem Management, IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.
  • 11 W.A. Franke College of Forestry & Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, USA.
  • 12 The Institute for Regional Conservation, Delray Beach, Florida, USA.
  • 13 Society for Ecological Restoration, Washington, D.C., USA.
  • 14 White Oak Conservation, Jacksonville, Florida, USA.
  • 15 Agencia Metropolitana de Bosques Urbanos del AMG, Guadalajara, Mexico.
  • 16 Conservation International Colombia, Bogota, Colombia.
  • 17 Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA.
  • 18 The Rewilding Institute, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.
  • 19 Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA.
  • 20 Florida Institute for Conservation Science, Melrose, Florida, USA.
  • 21 Sustainability Research Institute, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
  • 22 UMR CESCO, CNRS, Musée National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.
  • 23 Center for Applied Ecology and Sustainability, Santiago, Chile.
  • 24 Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
  • 25 Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
  • 26 Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
  • 27 School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, UK.
  • 28 Freelance Ecologist, Findhorn, UK.
  • 29 Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
  • 30 WildCRU, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
  • 31 German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Leipzig, Germany.
  • 32 Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany.
  • 33 Wild Europe, Brussels, Belgium.
  • 34 Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, D.C., USA.

Erratum in

Abstract
in English, Spanish

There has been much recent interest in the concept of rewilding as a tool for nature conservation, but also confusion over the idea, which has limited its utility. We developed a unifying definition and 10 guiding principles for rewilding through a survey of 59 rewilding experts, a summary of key organizations' rewilding visions, and workshops involving over 100 participants from around the world. The guiding principles convey that rewilding exits on a continuum of scale, connectivity, and level of human influence and aims to restore ecosystem structure and functions to achieve a self-sustaining autonomous nature. These principles clarify the concept of rewilding and improve its effectiveness as a tool to achieve global conservation targets, including those of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. Finally, we suggest differences in rewilding perspectives lie largely in the extent to which it is seen as achievable and in specific interventions. An understanding of the context of rewilding projects is the key to success, and careful site-specific interpretations will help achieve the aims of rewilding.

Recientemente ha habido mucho interés por el concepto de retorno a la vida silvestre como herramienta para la conservación de la naturaleza, pero también ha habido confusión por la idea que ha limitado su utilidad. Desarrollamos una definición unificadora y diez principios básicos para el retorno a la vida silvestre por medio de encuestas a 59 expertos en retorno a la vida silvestre, un resumen de las visiones de las organizaciones más importantes para el retorno a la vida silvestre y talleres que involucraron a más de 100 participantes de todo el mundo. Los principios básicos transmiten que el retorno a la vida silvestre existe en un continuo de escala, conectividad y nivel de influencia humana y que su objetivo es restaurar la estructura y las funciones del ecosistema para lograr una naturaleza autónoma autosustentable. Estos principios aclaran el concepto del retorno a la vida silvestre e incrementan su efectividad como herramienta para lograr los objetivos mundiales de conservación, incluyendo aquellos de la Década de la ONU para la Restauración de Ecosistemas y el Marco de Trabajo de la Biodiversidad Global post 2020. Finalmente, sugerimos que las diferencias en las perspectivas del retorno a la vida silvestre yacen principalmente en el grado al que es visto como factible y en intervenciones específicas. Un entendimiento del contexto de los proyectos de retorno a la vida silvestre es importante para el éxito, y las interpretaciones específicas de sitio ayudarán a lograr las metas del retorno a la vida silvestre. Principios Básicos para el Retorno a la Vida Silvestre.

Keywords: definition; ecosystem management; goals; guiding principles; rewilding.

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References

REFERENCES

    1. Anderson, R. M., Buitenwerf, R., Driessen, C., Genes, L., Lorimer, J., & Svenning, J. C. (2019). Introducing rewilding to restoration to expand the conservation effort: A response to Hayward et al. Biodiversity and Conservation, 28(13), 3691-3693.
    1. Bauer, N., Wallner, A., & Hunziker, M. (2009). The change of European landscapes: Human-nature relationships, public attitudes towards rewilding, and the implications for landscape management in Switzerland. Journal of Environmental Management, 90(9), 2910-2920.
    1. Bekoff, M. (2014). Rewilding our hearts: Building pathways of compassion and coexistence. New World Library.
    1. Bocking, S. (2015). Ecological concepts: Seeing, placing, imposing. Geoforum, 65, 489-492.
    1. Brown, C., McMorran, R., & Price, M. F. (2011). Rewilding-A new paradigm for nature conservation in Scotland? Scottish Geographical Journal, 127(4), 288-314.

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