Plans are afoot for Scotland to become the world’s first Rewilding Nation.
A campaign launched last week aims to roll back the years. Rewilding Nation calls on the Scottish government to commit to rewilding 30 percent of the country’s land and sea within a decade. It comes as a poll revealed that 76 percent of Scots support re-wilding.
The Scotish Rewilding Alliance invites us to 'imagine a Scotland where nature is reawakened. Where a rich tapestry of native woodlands, wetlands, wildflower meadows and grasslands is stitched back together. Where land and seas teem with life. Where people feel connected to the natural world, wherever they live. And where nature-based enterprises support thriving communities far and wide.'
Scotland is approximately 30,500 square miles, including the islands. That's about twice the size of the Netherlands and almost the same size as South Carolina in the US. So, if the Scots get their way, just over 9,000 square miles could be re-wilded.
“Scotland has the opportunity to show bold leadership by becoming the world’s first rewilding nation,” said Steve Micklewright of the Scottish Rewilding Alliance. “We have the space, political influence and public backing to become a world leader in saving nature and ourselves.”
The Knepp Estate in Sussex is becoming one of the largest and most prosperous rewilding projects in Britain. The 3,500 acre estate in West Sussex, about 40 miles south of London, was suffering from poor yields from conventional farming when Charlie Burrell finished agriculture school in the 1990s, after inheriting the Knepp Estate when he was just 21 years old. More...