Rewilding: ten years of evolution and development

Carver, Steve, Hawkins, Sally ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1285-3006 , Convery, Ian ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2527-5660 , Beyers, Rene, Derham, Tristan and Cao, Yue (2025) Rewilding: ten years of evolution and development. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 50 . Item availability may be restricted.

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Abstract

Rewilding has matured into a mainstream approach in nature conservation. More than 450 academic papers on rewilding have been published since the term first appeared in print in the early 1990s. Rewilding is characterized by a shift in conservation from compositional goals to functional restoration, and its goal is to foster coexistence between humans and nature. Rewilding is a potential climate change mitigation strategy, and rewilding projects can influence carbon cycling and help ecosystems become more resilient to climate change by restoring large herbivores and predators. Rewilding is gaining traction in policy at the national and international levels. Several global policy mechanisms and initiatives now support ecological restoration as part of a broader effort to combat biodiversity loss, climate change, and land degradation. Key debates and uncertainties surrounding rewilding include its relationship to ecological restoration, its role in promoting nonhuman autonomy, and the challenges of achieving transformative change within current paradigms.

Item Type:	Article
Journal / Publication Title:	Annual Review of Environment and Resources
Publisher:	Annual Reviews
ISSN:	1545-2050
Departments:	Institute of Science and Environment > Forestry and Conservation Centre for National Parks and Protected Areas (CNPPA)
Additional Information:	Sally Hawkins, Post Graduate Research Associate; Professor Ian Convery, PhD, Professor of Environment and Society, both of University of Cumbria, UK.
Depositing User:	Insight Administrator
SWORD Depositor:	Insight Administrator
Date Deposited:	06 Aug 2025 09:03
Last Modified:	22 Aug 2025 14:15
URI:	https://insight.cumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/8987