How inspiring would it be if we could mainstream rewilding globally by 2030? It is the mission of the Global Rewilding Alliance to help catalyse this, so in this opening keynote, Alister will offer a map for seeing where we are in this journey. He will outline some of the steps we can take now to enable the global rewilding movement to scale, and challenge us to think and act more clearly and effectively in our advocacy, offering some key tools to do so. He will finish with some examples from around the world of how rewilding is becoming a key beacon of hope in a brittle, anxious, nonlinear and incomprehensible world. 

Alister Scott is Director for Communications and Outreach at the Global Rewilding Alliance,  Honorary Professor of Practice at University College London, Chair of comms charity Rewriting Earth where the mission is to engage the disengaged in the polycrisis, coach to catalysts and founders, and co-author of The Little Book of Making Big Change Happen. 

Chilean Patagonia encompasses over 90% of the territory protected as national parks; it is composed of 17 national parks, protecting 11.8 million hectares and offering nature-based economic development opportunities to over 60 local communities. This presentation analyzes the creation of national parks as a strategy for large-scale conservation and highlights Rewilding Chile’s collaborative approach, as a legacy organization of Tompkins Conservation, in contributing to the creation of seven national parks and the expansion of three others, safeguarding over 4 million hectares. We will specifically present the case study of Patagonia National Park as a success story, showcasing the transformation of a sheep ranch into a national park through a 20-year rewilding process. We will also discuss the current efforts to create Cape Froward National Park by 2025, the southernmost national park in the American continent, and to establish an 8-million-hectare corridor. We will reflect on how these actions align with the Route of Parks of Chilean Patagonia, a territorial vision for one-third of the country, where national parks are seen as drivers of local economies, providing nature-based job opportunities, supporting the well-being of local communities, and fostering a culture of conservation. 

Carolina Morgado is a conservationist with over 25 years of experience, including leading efforts that created seven national parks and expanded three others in Chile—the largest private-public land donation in history. As the Director of Rewilding Chile, she advances rewilding initiatives along Patagonia’s Route of Parks, focusing on ecosystem restoration, endangered species recovery, and community conservation. Carolina also serves on the board of The Global Rewilding Alliance. 

Frans Schepers and David Thomas will describe the context for large landscape nature recovery in Europe, and the main factors for success so far. This will be based on lessons learned from over 25 landscape initiatives, and more than 12 years of practical work within Rewilding Europe and the Endangered Landscapes and Seascapes Programme. 

They will present opportunities and ways forward for scaling up nature recovery at landscape scale, benefiting both nature and future generations, while building the largest landscape restoration and rewilding portfolio at continental scale in the world. 

Frans Schepers, co-founder and Executive Director of Rewilding Europe and has over 30 years’ experience in conservation. Since 2011, Frans has led efforts to rewild 11 large landscapes across Europe with a team of over 220 people. 

David Thomas, a conservationist, socio-economist, and Programme Director for CCI’s Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme. With expertise in biodiversity, livelihoods, and human rights, David's career spans work in Tunisia, Nigeria, and Belize. He holds an MSc from UCL and a PhD from Cambridge.

With the race to protect 30/30 there are now two narratives running, the catastrophe narrative we are all familiar with and a positive narrative of growing and evident successes in rewilding the sea and the ocean’s unexpectedly dynamic powers of healing itself.  Yet some of the most imaginative rewilding efforts in Europe – the ban on sandeel fishing, the UK’s protection of its offshore marine protected areas – are now being challenged at the highest level.  The battle continues between the two narratives. 

Charles Clover is Co-Founder and Senior Adviser at Blue Marine Foundation, a leading charity dedicated to restoring the ocean to health through marine protected areas and sustainable fishing initiatives. An award-winning environmental journalist and author, Charles has been a prominent advocate for ocean conservation for over a decade. 

Australia is home to around 7-10% of the world’s biodiversity, but over 2,000 native animal and plant species are threatened with extinction, and 17 ecosystems are showing signs of collapse. Many of these species are found nowhere else on Earth. By managing threats, undertaking research, and reintroducing species into areas where they once thrived, Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) is restoring landscapes and securing a future for Australia’s unique biodiversity. At Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary, on Badimia country in Western Australia’s Wheatbelt, AWC is leading one of the most ambitious rewilding projects in the nation’s history. Lizzy Crotty will detail how AWC has established a 19,368 acre feral predator-free area dedicated to giving native wildlife a fighting chance. This safe haven, created to combat the devastating impacts of invasive predators like cats and foxes, has facilitated the return of 10 regionally extinct mammal species, including the Greater Bilby, Numbat, and Chuditch (Western Quoll). This talk will explore the critical role of feral-free sanctuaries in halting extinctions in Australia, the challenges of large-scale rewilding, and the partnerships with First Nations communities that drive this success.

Lizzy Crotty, Head of Development for Australian Wildlife Conservancy UK, leads efforts to protect Australia's endangered species and restore ecosystems, holding degrees in Environmental Science and an MBA.

Craig Bennett will discuss some of the organisation’s most recent landmark acquisitions for nature recovery, and the range of approaches needed for financing the initial purchases, early capital investments & the ongoing management.

Craig Bennett is the Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts, leading the organisation’s efforts to protect and restore wildlife and natural habitats across the UK. With a strong background in environmental campaigning, Craig advocates for nature-based solutions to address the climate and biodiversity crises. 

Boothby Wildland in Lincolnshire is Nattergal's first project delivering nature-restoration at scale. Now 3 years into its Rewilding journey, life is returning to the 600 hectare ex-arable site, the fields are full of scrub and birds of prey circle the skies. Boothby is a Phase 1 ELMS Landscape Recovery pilot project, having received funding to develop its intervention plans, including river restoration and beaver releases, as well as creating and delivering a best-practice stakeholder engagement programme within the local community. With successful ‘charismatic carbon’ and BNG sales being delivered, Boothby is an exemplar of a successful public-private nature finance model for rewilding at scale. 

Ben Hart, a Natural Capital Specialist and Chartered Energy Manager, has 13 years' experience in sustainability, recently leading the baseline and monitoring programme at Highlands Rewilding. Ben will be presenting alongside Lorienne, Boothby Wildland Site Manager. Lorienne leads a 600-hectare rewilding project, overseeing restoration, community engagement, and operations. With a background in ecology and conservation, she has worked in citizen science, conservation training, and education.

Are woolly mammoths on the verge of restoring a modern-day Mammoth Steppe in Alaska? Could the thylacine be brought back to repair degraded ecosystems across Tasmania? And might flocks of dodos be heard squawking once more on the island of Mauritius? The dawn of de-extinction is finally here, with powerful breakthroughs in biotechnology ushering in a new and exciting era of nature restoration. But what goes into resurrecting extinct species and, more importantly, why is the pursuit worthwhile? This presentation will dive into the scientific, ecological, and socio-political processes required to make de-extinction a reality, and how this disruptive new field will transform the future of conservation science forever. 

As Chief Animal Officer at Colossal Biosciences and the Executive Director of the Colossal Foundation, Matt James is at the forefront of building animal care strategies around de-extinction programs and leading the Colossal’s disruptive conservation efforts. 

Gorongosa National Park in central Mozambique has evolved from a post-conflict restoration project to a dynamic rewilding model that balances conservation with human well-being. Following the de-faunation of more than 90% of the large wildlife as the consequence of a protracted civil war, the initial focus was on the selective introduction of large herbivores such as buffalo and blue wildebeest. The improvements in law enforcement led to the natural recovery of most other herbivore species as well as of the lion population. Gorongosa’s journey underscores the critical role that conservation can play in promoting peace and reconciliation in conflict areas. The national park has now become a symbol of unity, demonstrating how shared efforts to protect and restore nature can rebuild trust and social cohesion among communities. As the rewilding and human development efforts have matured, the Gorongosa Restoration Project is looking at formalizing and further expanding this approach through the establishment of a Nature-Based Special Economic Zone that encompasses the National Park, Community Conservation Areas, hunting areas, sustainable forestry concessions and agricultural areas. 

From rewilding policy, legislation, advocacy, media awareness and science Rewilding America Now is moving the needle in creating rewilding landscapes and education in the US. Never been done before and scientifically supported we reintroduce America's wild horses as a keystone species on public range lands and – in cooperation with federal agencies - create landscape-scale rewilding habitats. Our flagship project is a combination of private land and over 70k+ acres of public grazing lands connecting Yellowstone National Park and the Central Idaho Wilderness Area. Creating a 130+ mile wildlife corridor that effectively opens up wildlife migration routes from Yellowstone to the Idaho Rockies, saving tens of thousands of large herbivores and predators threatened by climate change and habitat fragmentation. Working with native communities and traditional ecological knowledge of farmers and rotational grazing practices, with wild horses enhancing more sustainable and profitable agricultural models, Rewilding America Now is doing it all. Meet The team at Rewilding America Now that is spearheading the movement to rewild in the United States.

Manda Kalimian, founder of Rewilding America Now, leads efforts to rewild 70,000 acres in the American West, advocates for wild horse management reform, and promotes rewilding policies and sustainable grazing practices. Manda will be presenting with Dave Stricklan the executive director of rewilding at Birch Creek Valley, Michael Nathanson, a senior executive with over four decades of experience in the motion picture and entertainment industry, Wouter Helmer, the co-founder of Rewilding Europe and Programme Manager of GRAZELIFE, and Paul Silbernagel, a third-generation farmer and rancher from North Dakota. 

The UK Government has committed to national and international targets to achieve 30% nature recovery by 2030. At Rewilding Britain, we believe that this target should be for at least 30% in rewilding by 2030 – a huge increase from the 1% currently rewilding across Britain. So, how can we achieve such a step change in ambition? We will present our roadmap for achieving this huge change in approach to nature restoration. This will include addressing key questions such as: Do we have the space for 30% rewilding in Britain? How can we involve communities and young people? How do we remove the perceived risk from species reintroductions? How can we advocate for embracing change and dynamic ecosystems in such an entrenched system? We will also showcase some of the incredible rewilding projects already happening across Britain and how this is improving our knowledge of what a rewilded Britain may look like.

Sara King, Rewilding Manager at Rewilding Britain, supports rewilding projects and leads the Rewilding Network, fostering collaboration and sharing expertise among practitioners. 

In this talk, Benedict, founder and director of Restore, talks through how nature restoration is now scaling across the UK. He charts the journey the UK is going on, from being one of the most nature depleted countries on Earth, to rapidly restoring large areas of land – as nature restoration becomes more profitable than extractive or intensive farming. Sharing first hand insights from rewilding estates like Castle Howard, creating a new ‘plain’ in Wiltshire and reintroducing beavers to farms, Benedict gives a unique insight into the workings of a nature restoration business – and how inspirational farmers and landowners are coming together to scale nature’s recovery. As a pragmatist, Benedict explains how finance is a critical part of nature’s recovery – and diversification is the way farming will prosper into the future. And how, without restoring nature, all farms, and farming, will ultimately fail.

Benedict Macdonald, naturalist, writer, and founder of Restore, champions large-scale nature restoration in the UK. His award-winning books include Rebirding and Cornerstones.

This lecture discusses how traditional nature reserves can still lead the way in creating ecologically functional and resilient landscapes. It describes how the Purbeck Heaths ‘super-NNR’ in Dorset is leading a transition in the approach to protected site conservation, by linking multiple SSSIs into a single landscape-scale reserve; finding common ground across sectors and with local communities in a vision for nature and people. Management has shifted away from conservation of target features on individual reserves towards natural process restoration at scale, creating a more complex and resilient system. Habitats are more dynamic, but in a landscape already designated for its rare wildlife, how do we know when habitat change or species decline on a particular site is OK - and when should we still intervene with conservation management? Monitoring is key to guiding this transition, from ‘species gardening’ on nature reserves to restoring ecologically functional and more resilient landscapes.

David Brown has been with the National Trust since 2012 and now leads nature recovery in South Dorset and helped establish the Purbeck Heaths 'super-NNR,' focusing on large-scale, dynamic conservation landscapes.

Ella will lead a panel discussion exploring how cutting-edge advancements in AI technology can significantly accelerate and enhance global rewilding efforts. We will focus on AI-driven data analysis as a transformative tool for improving monitoring, forecasting, and decision-making in rewilding and restoration projects. The panel will feature leading experts from diverse fields, such as bioacoustics for species detection, remote sensing, and machine learning-based pattern recognition, all of whom are utilising AI in innovative ways to drive impactful environmental work. Each panellist will share real-world applications of AI in their projects, highlighting both the opportunities and challenges that come with harnessing these technologies. As facilitators, Ecosulis will contribute our own experiences in integrating AI into nature recovery projects, offering insights into ongoing initiatives and sharing our ambitions for leveraging AI further to scale rewilding efforts. 

Ella, a tech-driven rewilder at Ecosulis, leverages cutting-edge tools like eDNA, bioacoustics, and AI to scale nature recovery and transform landscape monitoring.

In this lecture, Harvey Tweats of Celtic Rewilding will share the trials and tribulations of reintroducing some of Britain's most threatened wildlife. Principally, Harvey will discuss how the past can inform the species we could reintroduce and the landscapes we can rewild. From prehistoric pond terrapins to the ornate white stork, Harvey’s work has been varied. He delves into the broader restoration of ancient ecosystems, uncovering the stories of forgotten wildlife and the cutting-edge science driving their return. One key question he poses is how will climate change affect our ability to rewild, and the choice of species to reintroduce? Join him for a thought-provoking exploration of Britain’s lost creatures and the future of rewilding the UK.

Harvey Tweats, director of Celtic Rewilding, specialises in restoring lost wildlife, including beavers and white storks across 16,997 hectares of land, blending science, public engagement, and practical rewilding. Harvey will be joined by Tom Whitehurst (he/him) the founder of Celtic Rewilding. 

Rewilding has largely been a concept used in a terrestrial context to date. Yet, rewilding principles not only apply to our seas, they enable a new approach that embraces the interconnectivity and dynamic nature of this environment. At Rewilding Britain, we have been working with pioneering community led projects delivering marine rewilding on the ground to scale up and mainstream this approach. What we have identified is that as an island nation, the rewilding of our seas will need to be community driven, and the decision making embracing this bottom-up approach. Diving into a few of these projects, we will showcase the diversity of approaches taken, and the incredible results already seen. Support from the conservation sector and decision makers remains critical. We will discuss how to enable this approach to spread along our coast, removing the key policy barriers and expand this vision offshore where community led action is increasingly complex.

Jacques Villemot, is coordinating the delivery of Rewilding Britain’s marine work, working with others in the sector to mainstream rewilding into marine policy and practice. He also supports the development of the Rewilding Network, helping to upscale marine rewilding across Britain. Jacques has a background in marine policy and hands-on conservation, his experience spans from the French Government to NGOs empowering community to act for marine protection in New Zealand.

This presentation introduces Rewilding Argentina's Economy of Nature model, a unique approach to ecosystem restoration. It illustrates how this model enabled the creation of Iberá, the reintroduction of extinct keystone species, and the establishment of a new restorative economy based on thriving ecosystems and cultural heritage. 

Building on the success of Iberá, Rewilding Argentina has expanded its innovative approach to four additional projects across different Argentine ecoregions. Notably, reintroduced species are now naturally dispersing beyond protected areas into the surrounding landscapes. This has inspired a broader regional vision in collaboration with partners in Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay, focusing on strategies that facilitate both natural and assisted species dispersal while fostering wildlife-human coexistence. The presentation will illustrate how local restoration efforts can evolve into regional conservation corridors, establishing a new model for rewilding in South America.

Sebastián Di Martino is a biologist dedicated to species conservation and habitat restoration in Argentina, collaborating with governments and NGOs. As Conservation Director at Rewilding Argentina for the past decade, he has led efforts to reintroduce regionally extinct species. He advocates for a bold, proactive, and positive approach to conservation, embodied in the principles of rewilding.