Day 2 of Rewilding Our World 2025 began with a vivid reminder that rewilding is not confined to remote wilderness — it is for every landscape we touch: farms, cities, riversides, and roadsides. The morning’s crisp autumn light illuminated the Wolfheze venue as participants gathered to explore how humanity can make space for nature — not in some distant ideal, but here and now, in the landscapes we inhabit and manage.
Chair Michele Robson opened the day with a warm welcome, reflecting the overarching theme: the urgent need to integrate ecological restoration, biodiversity recovery, and sustainable human development in every corner of our lives. The Global Rewilding Manifesto, presented later in the day, would reinforce this message, linking local actions to a global vision for life on Earth.
Rewilding in Human-Dominated Landscapes
Professor Liesbeth Bakker, the Netherlands’ first professor of Rewilding Ecology, set the tone with a keynote that was both practical and visionary. Drawing on decades of research in wetland and wildlife ecology, she explored how rewilding can succeed even in landscapes dominated by agriculture, infrastructure, and industry. With examples ranging from restored floodplains to urban nature corridors, Liesbeth challenged the assumption that wildness is only possible in uninhabited spaces.
“We don’t need to wait for empty spaces — we need to make space in the world we already share,” she urged. Her talk illustrated how species reintroduction, natural hydrology, and adaptive land management can harmonize biodiversity and human use, creating landscapes that are both productive and resilient. Through her work, Liesbeth demonstrates that coexistence is not merely an aspiration — it is achievable, measurable, and immensely rewarding.
A Global Vision for Rewilding
Alister Scott, Executive Director of the Global Rewilding Alliance, took the stage next to frame rewilding as a global movement with the power to reshape human society and the planet. Highlighting the Alliance’s work with over 250 partner organizations worldwide, Alister presented a five-stage roadmap for the movement: Invention, Experimentation, Preparing for Scaling, Scaling, and Mainstreaming.
His message was both urgent and hopeful. “A dream is not that which you see while sleeping, it is something that does not let you sleep,” he said, emphasizing that rewilding is not a luxury, but a necessity. By highlighting the exponential potential of ecosystem recovery and the importance of addressing poverty alongside nature restoration, Alister positioned rewilding as a movement that combines ecological ambition with social justice — a force capable of reshaping policy, economy, and culture simultaneously.
Megafauna: Engineers of the Future
Leo Linnartz brought energy and curiosity to the morning, challenging participants to imagine landscapes alive with large herbivores and predators once more. Through vivid examples and grounded ecological insight, Leo demonstrated how megafauna are not mere symbols of wildness, but active engineers of ecosystem processes.
By grazing, trampling, and browsing, these species open woodland, maintain grasslands, reduce wildfire risk, and facilitate tree regeneration — creating cyclic succession that is nature’s choreography. “Megafauna are not just icons of the past — they’re engineers of our future,” Leo reminded the audience. His presentation intertwined ecological theory with real-world applications, culminating in the launch of his new book Natuurlijke processen in Nederland (Natural Processes in the Netherlands).
Book Presentation
The first copies were presented to influential voices in Dutch rewilding: Frans Vera, Liesbeth Bakker, and Patrick Jansen. Leo’s book serves as both a guide and a manifesto for landowners, policymakers, and conservationists eager to apply science to practical restoration, demonstrating how nature’s self-healing power can thrive if given space and time.
Rewilding as Climate Strategy: Reinier van den Berg
Environmental journalist and meteorologist Reinier van den Berg brought attention to the climate dimension of rewilding. Drawing on experiences ranging from fieldwork in Greenland to climate communication in the Netherlands, he framed rewilding as a nature-based solution with multiple benefits: carbon sequestration, flood regulation, and biodiversity restoration.
Van den Berg emphasized, “Rewilding is a climate strategy, a resilience strategy, and a way to reconnect people with their natural heritage,” linking ecological restoration to urgent global challenges. His talk reinforced that rewilding is not merely a conservationist ideal but a practical tool for addressing climate instability.
Policy, Governance, and Rewilding
Professor Raoul Beunen shifted the focus to the governance frameworks that shape our landscapes. Drawing on his work in Dutch environmental policy, Raoul highlighted the tensions between top-down conservation regulation and the dynamic, adaptive nature of rewilding. Natura 2000, he noted, has been successful in many respects but often struggles to accommodate natural processes that cannot be neatly measured or controlled.
“If we want rewilding in practice, we also need to rewild our institutions,” Raoul asserted. He urged policymakers and practitioners to adopt flexible, learning-based approaches that embrace uncertainty and experimentation, enabling policy to work with — not against — nature. His insights resonated deeply with participants, reminding us that ecological transformation is inseparable from the human systems that govern land, water, and wildlife.
Agriwilding: The Future of Food and Nature
The morning continued with a powerful exploration of agriwilding and the potential for working landscapes to become biodiversity havens. Dr. Euridice Leyequien spoke with clarity and compassion about how agriculture can integrate with ecological restoration. Through agroforestry, regenerative farming, and multi-functional landscapes, Euridice emphasized that farmers, scientists, and policymakers must work together to restore not only ecosystems, but also our relationship with the land.
“To truly restore landscapes, we must work together — not just to heal ecosystems, but to restore our relationship with the land,” she said. Her talk was complemented by Wouter van Eck, founder of Food Forest Ketelbroek, who shared a compelling case study of landscape transformation. A former maize monoculture, Ketelbroek is now a thriving multi-layered ecosystem: producing food, storing carbon, supporting biodiversity, and enhancing climate resilience.
Wouter’s presentation underscored the practical benefits of agriwilding: layered plantings mimic natural processes, improve soil and water cycles, and create a mosaic where humans and wildlife can flourish side by side. His work demonstrates that food production and wild nature are not mutually exclusive — they are partners in ecological and societal resilience.
Insects, Bears, and Clean Ecosystems
The afternoon sessions began with Professor Michiel Wallis de Vries, who offered a unique perspective by focusing on insects, particularly butterflies. Michiel showed how rewilding strategies can restore populations of sensitive insects, which in turn support larger food webs and ecosystem health. By reconnecting small-scale processes with large-scale outcomes, his research highlights that biodiversity recovery begins with the often-overlooked small creatures that sustain life.
Bernd Nonnenmacher followed with a compelling discussion of large mammals, sharing lessons from the rescue and rehabilitation of bears, wolves, and lynxes. Bernd’s work demonstrates that effective rewilding often involves cross-border collaboration and the delicate balancing of conservation goals with animal welfare. His experiences reminded the audience that the rewilding of iconic species can have ripple effects across ecosystems and societies.
Equally compelling was Dr. Walter Schrader’s talk on chemical pollution. Highlighting the pervasive threat of “forever chemicals” such as PFAS, he underscored the need for clean ecosystems as a foundation for any successful rewilding effort. “If we want nature to heal, we must stop poisoning the foundations of life,” he said, connecting ecosystem health directly to human health and emphasizing the inseparability of the two.
Technology, Art, and Interconnected Action
Rob Spurrett offered a visionary perspective on how technology can amplify local rewilding actions. By leveraging satellite-based IoT connectivity, his company supports environmental monitoring, wildlife tracking, and precision management of off-grid landscapes. Rob’s talk reminded participants that the modern tools of connectivity, when wisely applied, can accelerate nature recovery while empowering local communities and decision-makers.
Meanwhile, artist-in-residence Nick Viney provided a visual counterpart to the scientific discussions. Over the course of the day, Nick collaborated with participants to create a live, evolving artwork that captured the ideas, energy, and emotional resonance of the conference. From agriwilding to predator reintroduction, the painting illustrated the complex interplay of ecological, social, and cultural factors that shape restoration. In a fitting conclusion, Derek Gow auctioned the piece to support grassroots rewilding initiatives, with Sir Humphry Wakefield securing the winning bid to add to Chillingham Castle’s collection — a vivid testament to how art, nature, and human generosity can intersect.
Bringing Back Scavengers and Top Predators
Hans Pohlmann illuminated another often-neglected aspect of restoration: the role of scavengers. Vultures, he explained, are critical to ecosystem function — rapidly removing carcasses, cycling nutrients, and preventing disease. Yet human misunderstanding and persecution have pushed many species to the brink. Hans argued that protecting and reintroducing scavengers is as important as conserving large mammals or forests.
Marc Wilbers captivated the audience with stories of the wolf’s return to the Netherlands — a milestone that symbolizes both ecological success and a societal challenge. “The wolf doesn’t just restore ecological balance — it restores a sense of wonder, humility, and responsibility,” he said. Through education, guided tours, and community engagement, Marc highlighted the importance of coexistence with top predators and the lessons they teach us about sharing landscapes.
The Global Rewilding Manifesto
One of the day’s most powerful moments was the presentation of the Global Rewilding Manifesto by Frans Vera. The manifesto is a bold, urgent call to action, linking local restoration projects to a global movement that champions biodiversity, climate resilience, and ecological justice.
Frans emphasized the transformative power of connectivity and collaboration: “When we reconnect fragmented pieces of nature, something extraordinary happens — not 1 + 1 = 2, but 1 + 1 = 8. Life returns, stronger and more diverse than we could imagine.” The manifesto invites governments, Indigenous communities, landowners, and individuals to recognize the Rights of Nature, restore ecological processes at scale, and reimagine humanity’s relationship with the wild.
It is more than a declaration — it is a living document, designed to be signed, shared, and enacted. By linking local rewilding initiatives to global ambitions, the manifesto provides a guiding framework for ensuring that restoration is systemic, inclusive, and sustainable.
Closing Reflections
The day concluded with a reflection on nature-based solutions for a shared future, bringing together the vision of the conference speakers and participants. The discussion emphasized that biodiversity loss, climate disruption, and nitrogen pollution are interconnected crises, and that only integrated, systemic approaches can deliver meaningful solutions. Rewilding and agriwilding are not abstract ideals, but practical, evidence-based strategies that restore ecosystems, support livelihoods, and build resilience.
Marc Wilbers, Purnima Devi Barman, and Michele Robson offered closing remarks, reflecting on the depth, ambition, and hope infused throughout the day. Participants left inspired not only by the scientific insights and practical demonstrations, but by the palpable sense of global solidarity — a shared commitment to restore life on Earth, reconnect with the wild, and reimagine what is possible.