Rewilding — the restoration of wild ecosystems and their species — has both conservation and welfare dimensions. Large-scale rewilding can create conditions for animal welfare at scales impossible in managed settings.
Rewilding offers the prospect of animal welfare at landscape scale — conditions where wild animals live in ecosystems that support their behavioral and ecological needs rather than isolated reserves or managed habitats. The welfare benefits of natural social structures, predator-prey dynamics, and full behavioral expression are qualitatively different from what conservation parks can provide. Rewilding faces real challenges in coexistence with agricultural communities but has demonstrated transformative ecosystem responses where it has been implemented.