Countries Celebrate World Rewilding Day 2026
Today is World Rewilding Day...
... It's a global celebration of the rewilding movement and how it is shaping our future.
Restoration of ecosystems helps nature recover, refresh and rekindle processes to strengthen biodiversity, help address climate change and build community resilience.
There are quite a few organisations leading on rewilding, serving individual countries and supporting projects across the globe:
The Scottish Rewilding Alliance
And there are many other organisations and charities involved in rewilding work across the globe.
Beyond Scotland would love to hear from you about your organisation, its work and your impact on the communities in your region.
Recommended Books on Rewilding
The list of books about rewilding and related themes is growing every year. You could start with any of the following:
- Wilding by Isabella Tree
- The Book of Wilding by Isabella Tree & Charlie Burrell
- Feral by George Monbiot
- Rewilding: The Radical New Science of Ecological Recovery by Paul Jepson & Cain Blythe
- Generation Restoration by Tim Christophersen
- Restoring the Wild by Roy Dennis
What other books would you recommend people read?
Podcasts on Rewilding
As well as good reads, there is no shortage of fascinating podcast episodes to tune into. Podcasts you might want to explore include:
- Rewilding the World with Ben Goldsmith
- The Rewild Podcast (Rewilding Europe)
- Rewilding Earth (Rewilding Institute)
- The Rewilding Podcast (Peter Michael Bauer)
Any other podcast recommendations for me to add to this list, either UK based or international?
Rewilding Sites to Visit, Research or Explore in the UK
There are places where the public can visit, learn more about rewilding and see rewilding in action for themselves.
Here we'll focus on the UK but do share any projects around the world that you would highly recommend for tourists and travellers alike.
ENGLAND
In England, one of the best known examples is Knepp Castle Estate in West Sussex.
Experiences in nature that support rewilding are available at Wild Ken Hill in Norfolk
One of the UK's largest rewilding partnerships is working together to transform the remote valley of Wild Ennerdale in West Cumbria.
In Kent, a partnership between Kent Wildlife Trust and Wildwood Trust, is reintroducing bison as part of the Wilder Blean project to showcase a different way of woodland management.
And, in Cambridgeshire, project organisers for The Great Fen are aiming to connect two nature reserves to allow more space for wildlife, support threatened fen wildlife such as bittern and otters, encourage greater diversity of wildlife, and protect sensitive habitats.
One of the most brilliant rewilding stories I've seen is about Christopher and Helen Neave, who created a nature reserve in North Yorkshire and have added much more to what they do and offer through their Make It Wild project. Do check out the short video about their story on the Make It Wild website.
SCOTLAND
In Scotland, the Cairngorms Connect project in the Highlands has an ambitious 200-year vision to improve habitats, encourage species to thrive and foster ecological processes across the Cairngorms National Park.
An initiative by the charity Trees for Life, the Dundreggan Rewilding Estate near Loch Ness is said to be the first visitor attraction of its kind in the world. It has a cafe, interactive displays, natural play area, footpath network, accommodation and free parking.
More than 3,500 people made donations to help raise £6 million for two large land buy-outs to help create the Tarras Valley Nature Reserve in Dumfries & Galloway. The community of Langholm now owns 10,500 acres of the stunning valley and made possible one of the biggest projects of its kind in the UK for people, nature and climate.
The Wild Heart project by the Borders Forest Trust is aiming to demonstrate the value of large-scale ecological restoration in Southern Scotland.
At the Alladale Wilderness Reserve in the Highlands, there is a 23,000 acre landscape which includes the ongoing restoration of woodland and peatlands to save the Scottish wildcat, revive red squirrel numbers and see the return of raptors.
WALES
In Wales, one of the projects getting a lot of attention is the Grange Project in Monmouthshire.
The project - which began in 2023 - is restoring 80 acres of land to create "an oasis of wilder nature", experimenting with different kinds of food production, and offering venue hire and accommodation.
It has also set up a charity, Wilder Connections, to encourage young people to get into nature and learn about rewilding.
Other notable sites in Wales include Gilfach Nature Reserve (read more about its rewilding efforts here) and Wilder Pentwyn Farm, both projects in Powys.
Also worth researching and exploring are Bwlch Corog in the northern Cambrian Mountains, the North Wales Wildlife Trust plans for 450 acres at Bryn Ifan near the Llyn Peninsula, and the charity Tir Natur, aiming to create the largest rewilding site in Wales, in the Cambrian Mountains.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Standing high above Belfast, the Black Mountain Rewilding Project is an example of what grassroots youth action can inspire and make happen. A litter clean-up led to the discovery of rare pine martens and this resulted in a project to protect wildlife and increase biodiversity.
There's a 23-minute documentary on YouTube called Treasures of the Hills that tells the story of the people and the wildlife behind the project.
It's still at an early stage, but keep an eye out for the Rostrevor "Sea to Summit" Rewilding Project in County Down.
Proposals would see the restoration of peatland and woodland across the foothills of the Mourne Mountains. The aim is to remove non-native conifer trees and protect hundreds of oak trees within a 14-hectare remnant oak wood.
The Garron Plateau Bog Restoration Project in County Antrim has seen a partnership between Northern Ireland Water, the RSPB and the Environment Agency (NIEA) to restore 2,000 hectares of peat bog. There's a short (5-mins) video about the project on YouTube.
The Wider Search for Rewilding Projects Across the World
Of course, there are numerous projects in the UK, Europe and across the world to check out. A simple search online, with a search engine like Ecosia, will get you to them.
And I'm particularly keen to explore the projects based in Scotland and share some stories of how they started, why they began, the challenges they face and the outlook for the future.
If you have other recommendations for rewilding in Scotland, please contact me via LinkedIn.
