Conversations on Conservation for the 21st Century: Rewilding and Beyond.

In July 2023, researchers from the Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity (LCAB) participated in the Society for Conservation Biology’s 31st International Congress for the Conservation of Biology (ICCB 2023). This conference was an opportunity for the LCAB team to present discussions and provocations on the theme of rewilding in conservation at a symposium titled ‘Rewilding the Anthropocene: What are we doing and is it wise?’ on 24 July. Led by Hanna Petterson, and with presentations from myself (Tabitha Kabora), Jonathan Cane, Louisa Mamalis, Christopher Lyon and Chris Thomas, our team explored a wide range of perspectives on rewilding for the Anthropocene, the temporal scales involved that range from historical baselines to future projections, and the assumptions and possible implications of rewilding.

The LCAB-led symposium combined theoretical, philosophical and practical perspectives to explore the topic of rewilding across the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. The presentations explored a wild range of topics on: 1) the definitions of rewilding and the background to the growing movement that ranged from archaeological and historical perspectives and scepticisms of rewilding; 2) present day rewilding case studies; and 3) looking at the future of and challenges of rewilding. These presentations were followed by dynamic discussions between the panel and the audience on rewilding versus restoration, findings and impacts of the rewilding projects and reintroduction of species, and why and how to rewild, and the future envisioned by rewilding. One such discussion was on the philosophical issues of the impact of human disconnection from natural landscapes that drive the concept that conservation and rewilding occurs through the reduction of human presence/influence, and that the pinnacle of natural landscapes are those in which human presence is completely absent. These philosophies deny the coexistence and modifications that humanity has enacted on almost all landscapes and ecosystems over the Holocene period that have influenced these environments. Discussions by the LCAB team pointed out the importance of recognising human-environment interactions and coexistence in rewilding and conservation objectives, and the ways in which rewilding can transform urban landscapes and influence future modes of human-environment dynamics.

Another discussion focused on priorities for rewilding and the values placed on the species or habitats conserved whereby the subjective values assigned to species or landscapes impacts priorities for rewilding. Tied to this discussion was the question of where all the space needed for rewilding would come from in the future and the role food technologies such as vertical farming and lab-grown meat could play in reducing agricultural land-use to open up space for rewilding and conservation. However, the food technologies proposed present challenges of supply, infrastructure needs, and ownership and access to these technologies that mean that offsetting agricultural land-use with some of these food technologies is still a long way off.

Overall, the LCAB-led symposium highlighted the challenge of defining rewilding, setting baselines for ecosystem or species restorations, defining successes in rewilding and the impacts of future technologies required to make rewilding sustainable in the long term. Researchers at LCAB are approaching these questions through ongoing research on rewilding as well as on broader biodiversity issues that would be applicable to addressing these challenges.

ICCB 2023 Plenary talk on 25th July by Dr. Tuyeni Mwampamba and Nkusi Arthur. Image courtesy of Tabitha Kabora.

Beyond the discussions on rewilding, the ICCB 2023 conference (with over 1,200 delegates in attendance) provided a platform for researchers across different disciplines and regions to present on conservation research and technologies. In relation to my own research interests, the conference provided an opportunity to explore the ways in which my work on historical land-use changes and dynamics could be incorporated into different aspects of conservation research through looking at long-term trends in landscape change and the relationship to present-day biodiversity. In addition, the conference presented me with the chance to look at the wider context of conservation approaches, an interesting aspect of note being the differences between species-focused versus landscape-focused conservation which was region-dependent. For example, many researchers focused on the west African region presented on species-focused conservation research while those from Eastern Africa presented on ecosystem/landscape-focused conservation. These differences fundamentally affect how conservation research is approached but ultimately require a synergy between the two approaches, ie in order to conserve a species, it would be important to protect its habitat meanwhile safeguarding of key ecosystems supports the conservation of a range of species.

The ICCB conference also highlighted the ways in which the Global Biodiversity Framework and the 30-by-30 initiative impact conservation objectives, and researchers at the conference showcased ways in which their work can inform policy and practice in environmental conservation and sustainability for now and for the future. Research conducted at the Leverhulme Centre covers a wider range of disciplines and knowledge that can inform these international policies on biodiversity conservation not only through the perspective of rewilding but by showcasing the ways in which human-environment dynamics are changing over time and developing practices and pathways to a sustainable future.

LCAB team at the ICCB 2023 conference, Kigali Convention Centre, Rwanda. Left to Right: Hanna Petterson, Tabitha Kabora, Louisa Mamalis, Christopher Lyon, Jonathan Crane, Molly Brown and Chris Thomas. Image courtesy of Christopher Lyon.