Seen and Heard: 5 Wild about Rewilding?

The science behind climate change and sustainability is complicated but it is important that the critical facts and the best information currently available enters the public arena. Veterinarians play a very significant role in discussing these issues with their clients, and the general public: sometimes this will involve some serious science, and sometimes lighter topics can be explored. The media to which the general public is exposed, is often guilty of playing ‘fast and loose’ with the facts. In this series, we will examine the evidence behind some of the articles and media information that appears and attempt to equip VetSalus members with background information and supporting facts, which they may use when discussing some of the more misleading or contentious statements.

Several newspaper articles in recent weeks have attracted my attention in that they all featured rewilding projects. The “Long Read” feature in ‘The Guardian’ of 11th July presented a detailed account of a new project near Grantham, Lincolnshire,^[1] while the 5th September edition of the same newspaper featured another new rewilding project on Emblehope Moor in Northumberland.^[2] ‘The Observer’ of 26th July described a new project on the nearby Rothbury Estate. The rewilding project at Knepp Farm in West Sussex is now well established and attracts international attention. Clearly “Rewilding” is topical, trendy and presenting farmers with new ideas about how to manage their land.^[3]

So what exactly is meant by Rewilding?  

The website of an organisation called ‘Rewilding Britain’, a charity which has been operating for over ten years, defines rewilding as “the large-scale restoration of ecosystems to the point where nature is allowed to take care of itself.”^[4] The Wildlife Trusts, a collection of charities which is in the process of acquiring the Rothbury Estate, does not use the term rewilding, preferring to talk of “nature recovery or restoration”. This implies more proactive management rather than just letting nature take its course. Both definitions imply a period of proactive management with a gradual drifting towards a more natural ecosystem with less intervention.

More generally, the term rewilding has been applied to farming systems where the intensity of farming is being reduced and few, if any, fertilisers or agrichemicals are being applied and management enhances biodiversity. 

Several issues soon emerge once the practicalities of rewilding are considered. These include the role of large grazing ruminants, the management of fire risk in a warming environment and the balance between rewilding and food production in a country, like the UK, that still imports around 40% of its food, including 55% of its vegetables.^[5] Rewilding implies reducing domestic food production thereby presumably increasing the import (and the carbon footprints) of imported foods. But, as the July article in The Guardian states, quoting the Dimbleby report, taking 20% of UK land out of intensive production would reduce food production by only 3%. The balance between increasing biodiversity and food security is a complex one, involving as it does the provision of pollinator and predator insects while potentially reducing productive acreages. Rewilding is also in its infancy and there is little doubt that much will be learned over the coming years through the development of projects like these.

The role of large ruminants is also somewhat complicated and of particular interest to veterinarians, who may well find themselves involved in the care and welfare of grazing species. Overgrazing by sheep has traditionally been blamed by many environmentalists for the suppression of saplings and moorland species but Rothbury intends using cattle to create open spaces between wooded areas and sheep also have a role here, supporting habitats for ground nesting birds. Emblehope sees a role for Exmoor ponies, which can graze the thatch that has increased alarmingly under the thick tussocks of moorland grass since the grazing density of cattle and sheep has been reduced. This presents a major fire risk which is a worrying trend when warmer summers are anticipated.

The dry summer of 2026 has seen sphagnum moss bogs become desiccated and their capacity to sequester carbon considerably reduced. One of the solutions proposed by rewilding advocates is the re-introduction of beavers, whose dams will help to retain water on the moor (and potentially reduce flooding downstream.) But it is the prospect of reintroducing certain other species that has attracted the greatest controversy; species that once belonged in the ecological mix, including carnivores like lynx, eagles and even wolves, are not generally welcomed by neighbouring farms.

One thing seems clear, the developing ideas behind rewilding will form a part of the future UK farming scene and there will be an evolving role for veterinarians with experience of more extensive farming systems. 

While, as one of the articles puts it, “You can’t eat butterflies”, but you can restore nature and enhance biodiversity while still producing food from the revised farming system.

This article has used A.I. resources to search for references but these were reviewed before use and the articles have been written and edited by a human brain.

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