BSc Environmental Management

Rewilding is the radical new science aiming to restore natural processes, increase ecological and trophic complexity and establish more resilient ecosystems (Jepson and Blythe, 2021). Rewilding also holds enormous potential in transforming the relationships that people have with nature (Monbiot, 2013). Although it is perhaps the most exciting and innovative solution being proposed to help address the biodiversity crisis, in many situations it remains controversial and contested.

In this course unit, students delve into the interdisciplinary science of rewilding, learning about the ecological principles and practical applications that underpin the restoration of natural processes, alongside recognising the social, cultural, economic and political opportunities and challenges that rewilding poses. The unit begins by exploring the foundational concepts of rewilding, emphasising the restoration of natural processes, the importance of ecological and trophic complexity and core landscape-ecology principles including the importance of scale and connectivity. Commensurate with the ecological focus, students are also immersed in the social dimensions of rewilding, considering the implications of rewilding for culture, heritage, land-based economies, livelihoods, policy and politics. This explores the collaborations and conflicts between stakeholders with diverse perspectives, including local communities, conservation organisations and policymakers.

To gain a comprehensive understanding of the complexities inherent in rewilding principles and practice, this course unit adopts a ‘flipped classroom’ approach, where core knowledge is developed through engaging, asynchronous learning that draws on a wide range of international case-studies. This content is then discussed in weekly interactive workshops designed to enhance skills in critical thinking and embed interdisciplinary and pluralistic perspectives. Additionally, knowledge is also applied through computer sessions and field visits, where students learn core practical skills to implement both the ecological and social requirements of rewilding and reflect on how these play out in real-world situations. 

The unit aims to:

- demonstrate the ecological and social imperative for rewilding and embed an interdisciplinary understanding of the key concepts, methods and theories that underpin rewilding’s many definitions 
- immerse students in the ethical and moral debates surrounding rewilding and establish the importance of embedding people and communities into rewilding principles and practices
- equip students with the ecological and social skills required to effectively implement rewilding
- enable students to effectively communicate the positive and negative impacts of rewilding to a range of different audiences
- support students to  assimilate the values and qualities vital to ensuring rewilding success, including empathy, humility, respect and the ability to listen to others.

This course unit will utilise the ‘flipped classroom’ method, introducing core concepts, debates and case studies through a weekly ‘asynchronous lecture’ which are complemented with weekly 2 hour workshops, which will allow students to embed their knowledge, understand complexities and appreciate diverse viewpoints. In addition, students will have 6 hours of computer suite sessions where they are provided with an introduction to ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Storymaps. Students will also attend two half day (5 hours) and one full day (8 hours) field visit to learn practical field skills in identifying and measuring rewilding interventions in practice and experiencing stakeholder engagement skills.

Contact Time: 
Workshops – 20 hours, Computer sessions – 6 hours, Field visits – 18 hours

Describe and compare different interpretations of rewilding and critically analyse their contribution to the nature positive agenda
Explain and evaluate the influence of key stakeholders, policy and legislation on the practical application of rewilding in different contexts
Apply systems thinking to justify how rewilding influences broader socio-economic and environmental issues

Explain, evaluate and defend appropriate rewilding interventions using relevant ecological theories, knowledge of different ecological baselines and awareness of socio-economic and ethical considerations 
Analyse the socio-economic implications of rewilding, considering positive and negative perspectives including marginalised voices and indigenous and local communities

Apply different field and digital techniques to inform recommendations for appropriate rewilding interventions 
Recognise the role of uncertainty and incomplete information when making decisions about rewilding futures
 

Communicate complex ideas in written form using visual material and spatial analysis to illustrate information
Recognise the diverse perspectives on rewilding and communicate thoughts and ideas with an awareness and sensitivity to cultural and ethical challenges
Integrate ecological and social perspectives on rewilding to develop values that balance the needs of humans and non-humans

2 x LinkedIn posts or blogs on practical skills in rewilding relating to: 

• GIS
• Field skills

Length: Map + 

Weighting: 2 x 15 %

ArcGIS Storymap – Rewilding a Landscape, Length: 1500 words. Weighting 70%. 

Online via Turnitin within 15 working days of submission

Indicative Reading List: 

Blythe, C. and Jepson, P. (2020) Rewilding: The radical new science of ecological recovery (Vol. 14). Icon Books.

Butler, J.R., Marzano, M., Pettorelli, N., Durant, S.M., du Toit, J.T. and Young, J.C., 2021. Decision-making for rewilding: an adaptive governance framework for social-ecological complexity. Frontiers in Conservation Science, 2: 681545.

Carver, S., Convery, I., Hawkins, S., Beyers, R., Eagle, A., Kun, Z., Van Maanen, E., Cao, Y., Fisher, M., Edwards, S.R. and Nelson, C., 2021. Guiding principles for rewilding. Conservation Biology, 35(6):1882-1893.

Glentworth, J., Gilchrist, A. and Avery, R. (2024) The place for people in rewilding. Conservation Biology. DOI (forthcoming):

Hayward, M.W., Scanlon, R.J., Callen, A., Howell, L.G., Klop-Toker, K.L., Di Blanco, Y., Balkenhol, N., Bugir, C.K., Campbell, L., Caravaggi, A. and Chalmers, A.C. (2019) Reintroducing rewilding to restoration–Rejecting the search for novelty. Biological Conservation, 233: 255-259.

Pascual, U., Balvanera, P., Anderson, C.B., Chaplin-Kramer, R., Christie, M., González-Jiménez, D., Martin, A., Raymond, C.M., Termansen, M., Vatn, A. and Athayde, S., 2023. Diverse values of nature for sustainability. Nature, 620(7975): 813-823.

Perino, A., Pereira, H.M., Navarro, L.M., Fernández, N., Bullock, J.M., Ceaușu, S., Cortés-Avizanda, A., van Klink, R., Kuemmerle, T., Lomba, A. and Pe’er, G. (2019) Rewilding complex ecosystems. Science, 364(6438): p.eaav5570.

Pettorelli, N., Durant, S.M. and Du Toit, J.T. eds. (2019) Rewilding. Cambridge University Press.

Ward, K. (2019) For wilderness or wildness? Decolonising rewilding. Rewilding, 34-54.

Popular Science Reading:

Macdonald, B., 2019. Rebirding: Rewilding Britain and its birds. Pelagic Publishing Ltd.

Monbiot, G., 2014. Feral: Rewilding the land, the sea, and human life. University of Chicago Press.

Tree, I., 2018. Wilding: The return of nature to a British farm. Pan Macmillan.