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Carver S, Convery I, Hawkins S, Beyers R, Eagle A, Kun Z, Van Maanen E, Cao Y, Fisher M, Edwards SR, Nelson C, Gann GD, Shurter S, Aguilar K, Andrade A, Ripple WJ, Davis J, Sinclair A, Bekoff M, Noss R, Foreman D, Pettersson H, Root-Bernstein M, Svenning JC, Taylor P, Wynne-Jones S, Featherstone AW, Fløjgaard C, Stanley-Price M, Navarro LM, Aykroyd T, Parfitt A, Soulé M. Guiding principles for rewilding. Conserv Biol 2021; 35:1882-1893. [PMID: 33728690 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Revised: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steve Carver
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Ian Convery
- National School of Forestry, University of Cumbria, UK
| | - Sally Hawkins
- Institute of Science, Natural Resources and Outdoor Studies, University of Cumbria, UK
| | - Rene Beyers
- Biodiversity Research Centre, Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | | | | | - Yue Cao
- Institute for National Parks, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Mark Fisher
- Wildland Research Institute, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | | | - Cara Nelson
- W.A. Franke College of Forestry & Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, USA
| | - George D Gann
- The Institute for Regional Conservation, Delray Beach, Florida, USA
- Society for Ecological Restoration, Washington, D.C., USA
| | | | - Karina Aguilar
- Agencia Metropolitana de Bosques Urbanos del AMG, Guadalajara, Mexico
| | - Angela Andrade
- Commission for Ecosystem Management, IUCN, Gland, Switzerland
- Conservation International Colombia, Bogota, Colombia
| | - William J Ripple
- Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | - John Davis
- The Rewilding Institute, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Anthony Sinclair
- Biodiversity Research Centre, Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Marc Bekoff
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Reed Noss
- Florida Institute for Conservation Science, Melrose, Florida, USA
| | - Dave Foreman
- The Rewilding Institute, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Hanna Pettersson
- Sustainability Research Institute, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Meredith Root-Bernstein
- UMR CESCO, CNRS, Musée National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
- Center for Applied Ecology and Sustainability, Santiago, Chile
- Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Peter Taylor
- Wildland Research Institute, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | | | | | | | | | - Laetitia M Navarro
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Leipzig, Germany
- Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | | | - Alison Parfitt
- Wildland Research Institute, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Michael Soulé
- Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, D.C., USA
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