Re-wilding

Sometimes you just need a tree…

I love Manchester, but coming from a place where I was at the beach every week or being 10 mins away from the woods, I feel very tree-deprived here! Indeed, many of us always wish to escape to more wild and exotic places, especially where large fluffy animals are involved! But can this, in the future, be somewhere which included the U.K?

Re-wilding is the process of restoring the land to its previous unused state, and reversing ecological damage. A big part of this so reintroducing animals that have previously been extinct in there areas. To be honest, I hadn’t even considered the possibility of re-wilding in the U.K. until I went to the extinction / survival exhibition. Here there is a great section about reintroducing the lynx and wolves into parts of Europe.

I must admit, looking at the problem through an animal-lovers eye, I feel we shouldn’t expect to impress upon places of outstanding diversity the need to conserve large megafauna (for example places like South Africa, Botswana, Kenya), or endangered and beautiful species (Indonesia and Papua New Guinea), without trying to reciprocate in our own country. So, can Britain be re-wilded? Species that have been lost in Britain, and that could have the potential to return include lynx, boar, wolves, pine martens and beavers.

There are benefits to re-introducing these species. The lynx and wolf will both eat deer – a good way to handle the booming deer population, instead of culling. The lynx has never attached humans, and it is reclusive – so livestock will not be affected. Beaver dams help to restore eroded stream beds to provide habitats for fish and amphibians, and boar dig up bracken rhizomes, creating aerated soils and allowing a greater diversity of plants to thrive here. However, some species that are on the current re-introduction list are controversial – such as the wolf. People will be naturally scared of them and there are concerns wolf numbers will affect livestock numbers as well.

What do you think? Is re-wilding a good idea? To help you decide – here is the link to the rewinding website of any of you guys are interested!

http://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/

Thanks for reading! Jenn 😀

References and pictures from:

https://amp.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jul/15/rewilding-britain-launches-with-the-aim-of-restoring-uks-lost-wildlife-and-habitats

http://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/

http://geographical.co.uk/nature/wildlife/item/1409-rewildingbritain

http://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/assets/components/phpthumbof/cache/RE_GreyWolf_X2.66515b2c1c2fa7e6bcceed4f667591a9.jpgfjdfndjfedc

http://community.lovenature.com/wild/rewilding-britain