World Rewilding Day is about celebrating rewilding and inspiring people and organisations across the globe to become involved in nature recovery. This year’s event calls for the scaling up of rewilding as a nature-based climate solution.
A global celebration
Last year the first-ever World Rewilding Day was launched on March 20. Organised by the Global Rewilding Alliance (GRA), it raised awareness of rewilding and the need for nature recovery around the globe, inspiring huge numbers of people and organisations to support and participate in practical rewilding.
This year rewilding initiatives from six continents will again join forces on March 20, as the second World Rewilding Day calls for the restoration of wildlife populations to address climate change and keep global warming to an absolute minimum. Rewilding Europe is a proud GRA partner and World Rewilding Day supporter, representing many other rewilding initiatives working to restore our beautiful European continent.
Rewilding: keeping 1.5 alive
The historic 2016 Paris Agreement saw almost all of the world’s nations commit to efforts to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5°C, which will minimise the risk of extreme climate-related effects. These efforts are currently focused on eliminating carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, through measures such as renewable energy development and electrification.
Yet even if such efforts are completely successful, they will not be enough to achieve the 1.5°C target. This is because there is already too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which now needs to be removed and stored in terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments. Scientific research has shown that allowing and enabling wildlife populations to recover to significant, near historic levels has the potential to hugely scale up this process, thereby keeping global warming below the critical 1.5oC threshold. This science is called: “Animating the Carbon Cycle“.
“By greatly enhancing the ability of ecosystems to absorb and store carbon, the animation of the carbon cycle presents us with a unique opportunity to address the climate emergency and meet the 1.5oC target,” says Vance Martin, President of the WILD Foundation (the founding partner of the GRA). “To ensure the full range of benefits that such animation offers are realised, we urgently need to scale up restoration and rewilding on a global scale.”
#WhyWeRewild
Over the last 10 years, Rewilding Europe has demonstrated the beneficial impact of rewilding on climate change by partnering with local teams across the continent. As wild nature continues to recover in these landscapes, the scale of this impact is likely to increase.
The Central Apennines team is dedicated to create a restore habitats and promote the return of keystone speacies while working with local communities to maintain harmony and develop nature-friendly small-scale businesses.
In the run-up to World Rewilding Day, rewilding teams throughout Europe will share a video from their rewilding landscape, showing #WhyWeRewild. The teams will present their actions on the ground, such as wetland restoration and wildlife comeback, which contribute to healthier landscapes and ecosystems that are better able to absorb and store carbon, thereby helping to address the climate emergency. The Central Apennines team, published their video on March 14. Please check out all the videos on our Youtube Channel.
On the 20th of March together with our partners from Wildlife Adventures we are organising a free excursion between Ortona dei Marsi and Sperone. Join us to have a refreshing walk, learn about rewilding directly from our Field Officer Fabrizio Cordischi and understand how responsible tourism can contribute to sustainable development of local communities with our experienced guides: Umberto Esposito and Valeria Roselli.
What can you do to help the Central Apennines become a better place for nature and people?
- Make a donation to our Bear Fund
- Volunteer or do an internship in the Central Apennines
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