By Rowan Dunn-Capper, Marek Giergiczny, Néstor Fernández, Fabian Marder, and Henrique M. Pereira.
In recent years, the concept of “rewilding” has captured the attention of conservationists, who see rewilding as a promising tool to combat biodiversity and rejuvenate nature. Rewilding is centred around three big ideas: re-establishing a balanced food chain topped by large animals, allowing nature to take its course with minimal human interference, and ensuring species can travel freely across landscapes.
To measure public sentiment towards rewilding, we carried out a “choice experiment” survey in the Oder Delta. This vast natural area, ideal for rewilding, stretches across both Germany and Poland, offering a unique opportunity to investigate differences in attitudes between the two countries.
Our study revealed a significant appetite for rewilding initiatives at the national scale, particularly for the presence of large animals such as wolves, lynx, elk and bison in the Oder Delta. However, there’s a twist: those living near the Oder Delta, the actual rewilding site, didn’t feel the same way. This underscores the intricacies of conservation planning, emphasising the importance of local input to foster balanced and just restoration projects.
Relational Thinking 