2024 Rewilding Wins
We’re reflecting back on a year of growth in rewilding as we wrap up 2024, from our very own Rewilding Network reaching 1,000 members to the story of Knepp gracing cinemas.
Published 12/12/2024
As we learn from nature, uncertainty and change is vital for growth, and 2024 really was a year of growth. Not just at Rewilding Britain, but within the rewilding community at large.
Here’s our roundup of just some of the amazing impacts we’ve seen across the rewilding space this year – both at Rewilding Britain and further afield…
Rewilding Network grows to 1,000 members
We’ve hit an amazing milestone of welcoming over 1,000 rewilding members to the Rewilding Network, a community of rewilders based across Britain who are actively rewilding land and sea in innovative and exciting ways. That’s 181,128ha land and 506 km² seabed, from southern England to the Highlands of Scotland, now in rewilding!
Through the Network more than 250 larger-scale rewilding projects – from the long-established Knepp, in Sussex, right through to the community-owned Tarras Valley in Scotland’s Southern Uplands – are connecting and sharing experiences, ideas and expertise.
Support from us takes many forms, from yearly gatherings to specialist webinars to site visits to practical guides. But of course the real power of the Network comes from the members themselves – each one brings new insights, advice and peer-to-peer support. We’re always amazed by the vast knowledge and expertise that these 1,000 members bring to the table, helping galvanise the movement and enabling us to together shape the future of rewilding.
£100K boost for rewilding in Sussex
Back in February, Sussex Bay was the second-ever beneficiary of the Rewilding Challenge Fund. This marine rewilding project is taking an ambitious, collaborative approach to accelerating local seascape recovery along 100 miles of Sussex coastline. The funding will enable the project to work with 200 groups operating projects along Sussex Bay to create a cohesive seascape framework – no mean feat! – as well as set up community enrichment initiatives, particularly for young people. Look out for news of the next Rewilding Challenge Fund recipient early next year.
44 rewilding initiatives supported by the Innovation Fund
Our Rewilding Innovation Fund has helped turn a diverse range of exciting ideas into practical action, from lynx feasibility studies to marine restoration, community engagement to drone surveying. Nine new projects received funding earlier this year, taking the total to 44 rewilding initiatives around Britain so far, with over half a million pounds of funding since 2021. We’ll be sharing news of the latest innovative projects to be awarded the funding in January, as we open the next funding window.
We’re on our way to making Scotland a Rewilding Nation
At the end of an incredible year of campaigning as part of the Scottish Rewilding Alliance, we were immensely proud to put the Rewilding Nation Charter into the hands of the Scottish Government this December. So many of you came together to show your support to declare Scotland a Rewilding Nation and commit to nature recovery across 30% of the country, with thousands of you signing the Charter and watching the Why Not Scotland? documentary. Support came from further afield too, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Brian Cox both lending their weight to the campaign.
Rewilding jobs up across Britain
This summer we revealed the impressive news that rewilding has helped jobs at sites in Scotland grow by +400%, while tackling the nature and climate emergencies. We analysed 13 major rewilding projects from the Rewilding Network, covering almost 60,000 hectares between them, revealing a massive 412% increase in jobs since rewilding began. In England and Wales, full-time equivalent jobs also increased by 93%. Such evidence is crucial in showing that as well as benefiting wildlife, rewilding can be a catalyst for creating new systems of living where nature and people thrive and interact.
We took our vision of a wilder future to Westminster
With the general election this summer, 2024 was the year to get rewilding and nature recovery firmly on the political agenda. And that we did. With our compelling Rewilding Manifesto and new polling showing more than four in five Brits support rewilding – alongside your 18,700+ petition signatures and 3,000 letters to MPs – we were able to show that rewilding 30% of Britain by 2030 is absolutely critical.
Not only did we take to the streets for the Restore Nature Now March, but we made sure we were seen and heard at party conferences – and that our Manifesto got into the hands of many decision makers. A huge thank you to everyone who campaigned with us or donated this year.
Rewilding Britain grows to 27
Despite these fantastic wins for rewilding this year, we want to be able to do so much more. That’s why we’ve been growing the team, welcoming new staff on board who can make strides with their expertise and passion — in areas as diverse as marine rewilding, Welsh advocacy, measuring our impact and ramping up our campaigns. This year our team topped 27. We also welcomed four new trustees, bringing in even more influence and expertise to the organisation. Find out who’s who on our Meet the team page.
News from the wider, wilder world…
The incredible impact of the Rewilding Network has continued to inspire us this year – with some amazing wins happening across Britain.
Restoring species
Over at Wilder Blean, they’ve grown their herd of bison with the birth of two new calves, Trees for Life has announced plans to introduce 15 tauros to its 4,000-hectare Dundreggan estate near Loch Ness in 2026, and the Lifescape Project has moved one step closer to realising its exciting vision of bringing white-tailed eagles back to Cumbria, as they kick off their feasibility study with all-important community events. Both of these reintroduction projects have received vital funding from Rewilding Britain.
Visioning the future
The Missing Lynx Project captivated more than 8,000 visitors with an exhibition that highlighted the lynx’s ecological importance while, with support from the Rewilding Innovation Fund, the Lynx to Scotland project made huge progress, addressing concerns for reintroduction. In Wales Tir Natur’s ambitious ecosystem restoration project is bringing a vision of thriving landscapes, ancient grazers, and natural flood protection to life. Together, these projects are paving the way for a wilder, more resilient Britain.
Rewilding on the silver screen
Finally, who could forget our friends over at Knepp releasing their much-anticipated docufilm, Wilding? This beautifully-shot film took rewilding to the silver screen in a whole new way as the highest-grossing documentary of 2024, introducing rewilding to new audiences and demonstrating how it can unlock a future where nature and people thrive alongside one another.
What’s next?
From growth comes new opportunity. Next year, we’ll be celebrating our 10-year anniversary, and as we move into the next five years of our 30 by 30 vision, we’ll be continuing to push for change, open new doors of opportunity and build the movement of rewilding to exciting new heights. Thank you to everyone who’s helped us build the movement so far – from supporters to donors, organisations to activists, we wouldn’t have been able to move forward without your phenomenal support.
We can’t wait to make even more impact in 2025 – we hope you’ll join us.
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