Europe’s nature is declining at a rapid rate, as assessments under the Habitats Directive (European Environment Agency, 2020) and the IUCN Red List of Species (e.g. IUCN, 2019) repeatedly show. Its intact ecosystems tend to be small and isolated, which hinders the ecological processes and functions necessary for their survival. Restoring nature across degraded landscapes, while protecting the intact nature we have left, is crucial to support biodiversity and the ecosystems on which we all rely.

IUCN Member Rewilding Europe recently launched a call for action to drive forward and scale up practical rewilding across Europe, urging EU politicians to prioritise nature restoration in the upcoming EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2030. Organisations and individuals across sectors, including energy, land management, forestry, river management, investment, research and others, as well as citizens, are called on to co-sign and share the #CallForAWilderEurope. To date around 60 organisations in Europe have co-signed the Call for Action for A Wilder Europe and a global call for action will follow in the lead-up to the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.