Written by Alys Morgan Pearce
We as a species are destroying our home, all for the sake of our โneedsโ that use natural resources. Over the past century the rate of destruction has increased rapidly. We have very little time to reverse our damage. Returning areas of land into habitats where nature can thrive is vital. The focus being protecting communities and livelihoods as well as restoring biodiversity.
"'Biodiversity' is often defined as the variety of all forms of life, from genes to species, through to the broad scale of ecosystemsโ (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy 2007) furthermore; โBiodiversity is the foundation of ecosystem services to which human well-being is intimately linked.โ (Green Facts 2020) From the sun to plants, to bugs, birds and then mammals. It is the word that links us to everything. It is something to be nurtured, treasured and conserved. Rewilding is the conservation of biodiversity.
Rewilding is reversing humans' impact on the earth by returning the ecosystems to a more biodiverse state. This is done through reintroducing (through considered and studied practice) habitats and species, often predators, that realign the rest of the ecosystem to a habitat considered more beneficial for the environment and the wildlife.
As much as the UK seems to be a widely green country, with beautiful national parks and countryside, it is in fact unnaturally so. Greater biodiversity needs to be encouraged and there needs to be more native trees and bushes to support this. For example, birch trees (native to the UK) support 229 species of insect, whereas larch (non-native) support just 17. (The Woodland Trust's magazine 'Broadleaf', Autumn 2020). As one of the birds listed on the RSPBโs endangered species red list, the skylark relies heavily on particular insects and vegetation to nest and survive. For example โSilage fields attract skylarks, but are generally cut too frequently to allow successful breedingโ (skylark, what this species needs, RSPB, 2020)
The UKโs most significant rewilding umbrella organisation, Rewilding Britain (2020), works together with various communities. They offer much needed support and funding, create connections and also share knowledge online via their website and newsletter. Their website has a plethora of links to ongoing projects where rewilding is being practiced.
Through Rewilding Britain (2020) I was able to search examples in Wales, and found a rewilding project happening currently in the Cumbrian Mountains, Mid Wales. The project is based near Machynlleth, in an area called Bwlch Corog. On their own website Cambrian Wildwood (2020) I learn that the land was purchased in 2017 and has since been surveyed, discovering what species could be brought back and subsequently has undergone mass tree planting works. Various natural habitat restorations have led to a return of bird species such as skylark and snipe, with plans to reinhabit endangered animals such as the red squirrel, water vole and wild cat (Cambrian Wildwood 2020).
However, I feel it is important to note that the BBC (2019) reported there was an upheaval from local farmers due to Rewilding Britain's apparent miscommunication of the Summit to Sea (also in the Mid Wales area) project aims. This goes to show strong communication and engagement on the ground is vital to making these changes for our shared future.
Sometimes, school programmes are offered as part of a rewilding project such as the Cambrian Wildwood (2020) โthree-year connection to nature programmeโ, engaging with the local communities and showing the next generation the benefits of having a thriving natural environment. The students are able to be immersed in the wild, often schools from urban areas visit so that they get a chance to connect with nature that they wouldn't otherwise see.
Obviously these projects arenโt cheap, they rely heavily on funding and volunteers. If you are interested in gaining experience in rewilding I would recommend researching to engage with a project. For example, Cambrian Wildwood (2020) have monthly volunteer days, which at the time of writing were planned to restart on September 26th, including no fence tree planting, establishing wild bee hives, etc. These action packed projects are just waiting for their nature heroes to enlist! It all starts with you. What will you do this month?
๐๐ฃ๐๐ค๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐๐ง๐ฉ๐๐๐ก๐? ๐๐ช๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ค๐ง๐ฉ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ฎ ๐๐ค๐ค๐ข ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐พ๐ก๐๐ข๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐๐๐, ๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ง๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ค๐ช๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ค๐ฌ: patreon.com/theemergencyroom
๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ต๐
Faith, D.P. (2010). Biodiversity (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). [online] Stanford.edu. Available from: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/biodiversity/.
Green Facts (2020) Biodiversity and Human Well-being. Green Facts. [30.09.2020] Available from: https://www.greenfacts.org/.../l-3/1-define-biodiversity.htm
Woodland Trust and Garton, E. (2020). The Carbon Fix. Broadleaf, 1 Sep., pp.16โ19.
RSPB (2020) Skylark. RSPB. [30.09.20] Available from: https://www.rspb.org.uk/.../advice/helping-species/skylark
Rewilding Britain (2020) Cambrian Wildwood. Rewilding Britain. [30.09.2020] Available from: https://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/.../cambrian-wildwood
Cambrian Wildwood (2020) Restoring Habitation. Cambrian Wildwood. [30.09.2020] Available from: https://www.cambrianwildwood.org/land
BBC (2019) Farmers 'misunderstand' Wales rewilding project. BBC Wales [30.09.20] Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-49666610
Today's entry is by Alys Morgan Pearce, a performer and writer working between Spain, Wales and England. She is the director of ActionMovementPeace, an environmental arts project which has held a live music and arts event in the center of Cardiff. Also AMPโs โDifferent Fruitres' play that inspires the wonder of fruit has been performed at festivals and community arts events, both events and plays are on hold for now, but there are plans for many more, keep in touch with her socials for updates!
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