Rewilding boasts increasing appeal as a progressive conservation approach, and offers game-changing potential in terms of the global restoration of wild nature. These were the overriding takeaways from the online Rewilding Symposium, which took place on Thursday 3 December.
More than 2000 people from more than 50 countries across the world joined the event, which was organised by Rewilding Europe, Wageningen University and the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW).
“At the start of the symposium I posed the question: ‘can we rewild the world?'” says symposium co-host and event chair Liesbeth Bakker, Europe’s first professor of rewilding ecology. “Given the overwhelming interest in and positive feedback from this event, the simple answer has to be yes."
Participants in the Rewilding Symposium enjoyed talks by six rewilding experts and practitioners. Their presentations can now be viewed online:
Researchers interested in joining the rewilding science network can contact Liesbeth Bakker.
Twitter summary of the symposium: Today it's #rewilding time!
More information on rewilding and the symposium: Rewilding Europe website