Rewilding and Animal Welfare: Ecosystem Recovery and Wild Animal Wellbeing

Rewilding projects that restore natural processes and species can significantly improve wild animal welfare outcomes.

Key Facts

Rewilding projects in Europe have seen remarkable wildlife recovery including wolves and lynx
Reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone caused trophic cascade effects benefiting many species
Beaver reintroduction in Scotland and England has restored wetland habitats improving biodiversity
Rewilding reduces the need for intensive wildlife management interventions
Over 300 rewilding projects are now operating across Europe

Welfare Considerations

Rewilding can improve animal welfare by restoring natural habitat complexity that allows more complete expression of natural behaviours. Restored predator-prey dynamics reduce chronic disease in herbivore populations through natural selection pressure. Habitat connectivity reduces fragmentation-related welfare costs including road mortality and isolation stress. However, reintroduced predators cause welfare impacts on prey species and livestock requiring careful management. Monitoring welfare outcomes should be integrated into rewilding programme design.

What You Can Do

Support Rewilding Britain and local rewilding projects with donations and advocacy
Advocate for rewilding on suitable public land including National Parks and government estates
Engage with farming communities about co-existence with reintroduced species
Support research into welfare outcomes of rewilding for both restored and existing species
Join citizen science monitoring programmes that track wildlife recovery in rewilding areas