Rewilding Pioneer Award
Frans vera

Rewilding Pioneer Award

Frans Vera

Biologist and Conservation Visionary, Pioneer of Rewilding in the Netherlands

The Rewilding Pioneer Award 2025 goes to Frans Vera, a visionary whose groundbreaking ideas and perseverance have fundamentally transformed how we understand nature. His work continues to shape rewilding practice and inspire conservationists worldwide.

Frans Vera is best known for his groundbreaking work in the Oostvaardersplassen, a wetland and grassland reserve in the Netherlands where he introduced large herbivores such as konik horses, red deer, and Heck cattle. His work there was not just management, but a living experiment: testing the bold hypothesis that large grazing animals are essential drivers of biodiversity and landscape dynamics.

Mosaic forests

This idea, articulated in his influential book Grazing Ecology and Forest History, challenged long-held beliefs that Europe’s primeval landscape was a closed canopy forest. Instead, Vera proposed that it was a shifting mosaic of open grasslands, scrub, and woodlands — maintained by the ecological engineering of herbivores. This “Vera hypothesis” has sparked global debate and continues to influence rewilding projects across Europe and beyond.

Oostvaardersplassen

In just 40 years, 6,000 hectares of reclaimed polder have been transformed into one of Europe’s most vibrant and productive wetlands, now home to rare species like the magnificent white-tailed eagle, absent from the Netherlands since the Middle Ages.

Perseverance and Lasting Influence

Frans Vera’s path has not been easy. His work in the Oostvaardersplassen has come with personal sacrifices, controversy, and intense public scrutiny. Yet through it all, he has stood by his vision, guided by science, courage, and a deep belief in nature’s capacity to recover if given space.

Already in the 1990s, his ideas inspired those who would later form the Rewilding Academy. And today, he continues to inspire a new generation of ecologists, practitioners, and rewilders who carry forward his legacy of bold thinking and fearless experimentation.

For his pioneering vision, his groundbreaking theory of grazing ecology, and his unwavering dedication to restoring wild processes in European landscapes, we are proud to honour Frans Vera with the Rewilding Pioneer Award.

Read our interview with Frans Vera: Oostvaardersplassen at risk

Celebrating Bold Vision

Honouring pioneers whose ideas and dedication are transforming landscapes, inspiring communities, and shaping the future of rewilding around the world.

The New Wilderness

The New Wilderness showcases the Oostvaardersplassen, a 6,000-hectare polder transformed into a thriving wetland in 40 years. Shot in 4K, it celebrates nature’s resilience, rare wildlife, and Europe’s largest wild horse herd.

Recognising More Rewilding Pioneers

Rewilding Legacy Award

Sir Humphry Wakefield has received the Rewilding Legacy Award for his lifelong dedication to conservation, heritage landscapes, and supporting initiatives that restore wild processes and inspire future generations of rewilders.

Species Rewilding Award

Lucy Rees received the Species Rewilding Award for pioneering work with Europe’s wildest horse herds. Her research on Pottokas reveals how wild horses interact, informing rewilding and domestic horse welfare.