Symposium Evidence-based Rewilding & Launch Rewilding Expertise Centre

What evidence shows that rewilding actually works? During this event, national and international speakers from science and practice explore how to build robust evidence for rewilding and demonstrate its impact. The symposium also marks the launch of the Rewilding Expertise Centre by NIOO researcher and special WUR professor Liesbeth Bakker on World Rewilding Day!

Using real-world examples from iconic rewilding areas across Europe, the event highlights wetlands as nature-based solutions and trophic rewilding with large herbivores. From remote sensing and GPS-collared animals to insights from 35 years of rewilding, participants discover how conservation evidence is built in practice.

With a mix of presentations, videos and posters the event offers an accessible overview of evidence-based rewilding in action for scientists, practitioners, policymakers and people interested in the field of rewilding.

This symposium is organised by NIOO, WUR and ARK Rewilding Nederland.

Subjects and speakers:

• Climate-smart rewilding, Liesbeth Bakker (NIOO-KNAW and WUR)
• Rewilding Kempen-Broek, Ruben Smit (filmmaker)
• Rewilding landscapes, Nathalie Pettorelli (ZSL conservation)
• Conservation evidence, William Sutherland (University of Cambridge)
• Evidence of 35 years of rewilding in the Netherlands, Leo Linnartz (ARK Rewilding NL)
• Launch Rewilding Expertise Centre, Liesbeth Bakker (NIOO-KNAW and WUR)
• Synthesis of 40 years of Dutch rewilding with large grazers, Natanja Schuttenhelm (Universiteit Wageningen)
• Rewilding as a nature-based solution: wetlands for climate change adaptation Anne Wolma (Universiteit Wageningen)
• Launch of the book on natural processes, Leo Linnartz (ARK Rewilding NL)
• Short movie: Rewilding in action (Rewilding Europe)
• How Rewilding Europe monitors rewilding progress, Theresa Stratmann (Rewilding Europe)
• Science-based rewilding Mols Kent Olsen (Natural History Museum Aarhus)
• Rewilding forests: examples across Europe Lydwin Wagenaar (Universiteit Lund)
• Global wetlands as nature-based solutions Magnus Sylvén and Chloe Eckert (Global Rewilding Alliance)