Mission rewilding: Scotland and Wales are trailblazing Europe’s nature restoration

Rewilding initiatives are already seeing success in the UK, as Scotland bids to become the world’s first ‘rewilding nation’, led by a coalition of more than 20 organisations under the Scottish Rewilding Alliance.

Meanwhile, the only rewilding group of its kind in Wales has begun crowdfunding for a bold rewilding project, set to begin in spring 2025.

A pathway to Scotland as a ‘rewilding nation’ was presented to government ministers at a reception last week, which was described as a ‘trailblazing vision of hope’ by the Scottish national paper, The Herald.

The Rewilding Nation Charter calls on the Scottish government to commit to 30 per cent “nature recovery” of the nation’s land and seas. 

Polls suggest that 80 per cent of Scots believe the government should have policies in place to support rewilding.

“There is consistent and huge support for nature restoration across rural communities,” says Steve Micklewright, Trees for Life's chief executive and co-convenor of the Scottish Rewilding Alliance. 

“And importantly, for rural communities - and across different sectors, including those involving traditional rural jobs - nature restoration creates job opportunities alongside its other social and economic benefits,” Micklewright adds. 

“Reducing deer numbers to allow woodlands to regenerate requires more people with deer-stalking skills, for example, while restoring peatlands creates a whole new workforce.” 

Through public donations alone, the alliance successfully secured its ambitious £200,000 fundraising goal in just six days earlier this year, with all donations up to £100,000 matched under the UK’s Big Give Green Match Fund.

But becoming the world’s first official ‘Rewilding Nation’ requires political leadership to adopt