FAQs
So… what is rewilding anyway?
Wild Card wants the country’s largest landowners to urgently address the climate and nature crisis by beginning ambitious rewilding schemes now.
This movement is about all of us, so if you have a question that you think we should be addressing here please do email it to info@wildcard.land!
Why am I needed in this movement?
‘What is the extinction of the condor to a child who has never known a wren?’ – Robert Michael Pyle
We believe that the movement for rewilding must be foregrounded by ordinary people, not big landowners. We all have a responsibility to undo the harm we have caused to the natural environment – and create a happier, healthier world in the process!
but how bad is it?
The UK has lost nearly half of its animal and plant species since the Industrial Revolution. Despite myths of a ‘green and pleasant land’, our nature is in a perilous state, with Britain ranking 189th out of 218 countries for biodiversity intactness. We are simultaneously facing a climate catastrophe on an unprecedented scale.
So yeah… it’s pretty bad. But we have a plan.
So what is rewilding?
In simple terms, rewilding is about letting nature take care of itself. It means allowing ecosystems to restore and thrive, creating habitats for wildlife to return, and giving space for plants, trees, and animals to flourish.
Rewilding has the potential to reignite the stories and lore of the past, re-enchanting people with the natural environment. With 1 in 7 native UK species at risk of extinction, the more we learn about nature, and understand the importance and wonder of it, the more likely we are to want to protect it.
Won’t big landowners use it as another excuse to kick people off their land?
We know that many landowners have opened up parts of their land for the public to enjoy, and we know how significant this has been in terms of people’s well-being and their understanding of the natural world. So we certainly aren’t talking about a fortress conservation – which we know has been extremely problematic both in the UK and internationally.
What we would like to see more of is an idea of humans as part of nature and a need to work in balance with it rather than destroy it. We think in this sense landowners can learn a lot from those parts of the world where humans have worked in harmony with the land.
Basically, we support better land access and democratized land management in order to enable ordinary people to have a say!
what does rewilding have to do with climate change?
We think of climate change and biodiversity loss as twin challenges, inextricably linked. The heating of the planet due to climate change only exacerbates these effects, whilst intact systems are able to store carbon, ultimately cooling the planet.
By rewilding, we help combat climate change, boost biodiversity, and make the planet a healthier place for all living things.
