According to a study published in the scientific journal pping quarter of the European continent is waiting to be ‘rewilded’. In total, this covers an area of 117 million hectares. For comparison: that is almost 30 times the size of the Netherlands. The term ‘rewilding’ may make you think of an overgrowth of weeds in your backyard, but it is much more than that. It is about restorio their original state, before humans left their mark.
The researchers have created a kind of ‘wilderness map’ of Europe. This shows where the best opportunities for rewilding lie. These are areas of at least 10,000 hectares where a live. Surprisingly enough, the cold regions of Europe appear to be the most suitable. Scandinavia, Scotland and the Baltic States top the list, but mountainous areas on the Iberian Peninsula also offer good opportunities, according to the researchers.
Different strategies But how do you
Tackle something this big? Scientists distinguish between two strategies: passive and active rewilding. With passive rewilding, you largely let nature take its own course. Animals such as deer, ibex, elk and rabbits colonize abandoned areas on their own. Larger predators such as wolves, bears and lynxes follow naturally.
Active rewilding is a bit more lead library of telegram complex. This strategy is needed in areas where important animal species are missing. Here, the missing links in the ecosystem are manually reintroduced. The goal is the same: to create a self-sufficient, biodiverse landscape.
Miguel B Araújo one of the study’s authors
Compares herbivores to “ecosystem engineers” who shape the landscape through their grazing behavior. Pre dators, in តួនាទីជាមូលដ្ឋានរបស់អ្នកគ្រប់គ្រង Facebook ក្នុងយុទ្ធសាស្ត្រទីផ្សារ his view, are the “architects” that create “fear landscapes” that prey avoid. The interplay between both groups creates a diverse landscape that teems with biodiversity.
What is the goal? This ambitious plan is in line with the European Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. This strategy, a cornerstone of the European Green Deal, aims to put 30 percent of Europe’s land area under protection, of which a asb directory third must be very strictly protected. The research by Araújo and his team provides a concrete roadmap to achieve these goals.
But the strategy goes beyond just protecting the land. It also includes plans to restore degraded ecosystems, address the drivers of biodiversity loss, and strengthen conservation in decision-making. With the proposed EU Nature Restoration Act, Europe even wants to set legally binding targets for the restoration of specific habitats and species.
