Rewild to Recover: how your voice is making an impact

When wildfires swept across Britain earlier this summer, the search for solutions sparked debate around rewilding. But together, we’ve shown that a more hopeful future is possible — one where rewilding can help us build the wilder, more resilient landscapes that can help absorb climate shocks.

Reconnected rivers that slow down floodwaters. Restored wetlands that slow the spread of wildfires. Revived woodlands that keep surrounding areas cool in extreme heat. If we take care of nature, nature can take care of us again.

You helped us call for and secure a seat at Wales’ first-ever Climate Change and Resilience Summit on 21 October, chaired by First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth and bringing together a diverse group of experts from across Wales. Here’s what happened with our Wales policy expert James in the room:

• We shared the evidence for rewilding We brought the case for rewilding directly to decision-makers, showing how rewilding re-wets landscapes, creates natural firebreaks and holds back floodwaters.
• A commitment to review controlled burning The Welsh Government have committed to a much-needed review of current evidence on the impacts of land management on wildfire resilience and the regulations on the controlled burning of heather and grass. So-called ​‘controlled’ burning simply adds fuel to the fire, damages soil health, impacts people’s health and weakens the land’s ability to hold water.
• We’ll continue making our voices heard Rewilding Britain has been invited to contribute to the rapid response coming off the back of the summit, and we’ll continue to urge the Welsh Government to create a Climate Shock Fund to rewild our landscapes. The fund would support landowners and managers to create natural firebreaks by re-wetting landscapes, embrace natural grazing with cattle, pigs and ponies, and restore broadleaf woodlands and native ffridd habitats. 

Thanks to your support and your local MPs pressing the minister on your behalf, Nature Minister Jenny Riddle-Carpenter agreed that nature recovery experts must be part of the UK’s Wildfire Action Plan.

Your push helped secure a seat for nature at the UK’s first national wildfire summit on 23 October, with our friends at the National Trust and RSPB invited alongside other experts including emergency services. Thank you for making nature heard!

Here’s what’s happened since the summit:

• £25 million for fireproofing land The government recently announced new funding to restore dried-out peatlands and to support farmers to fireproof their land. A positive start, but we need more. 
• A new Climate and Nature Security Taskforce launched The UK Government launched a new taskforce to meet twice a year to work on an approach to tackling the increasing risks driven by climate breakdown, nature loss and the disruption of global supply chains.
• Glaring gaps in England’s wildfire strategy called out  The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee released a report drawing attention to England’s lack of a wildfire strategy. Among other recommendations, the report makes a long overdue call for wildfire risk to be treated as a matter of national security and for the government to support nature recovery as part of the solution by re-wetting landscapes, restoring peatlands and changing grazing practices. The government has now promised a national strategy, but we need swift action that puts nature recovery experts at the heart of the solutions. 

On 30 September, thanks to calls from supporters like you, the Scottish Parliament held a dedicated debate on Building Scotland’s Resilience to Wildfires and Other Climate Shocks chaired by Scotland’s Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie. This was the first time Holyrood has ever held a debate focused on rewilding.

• Broad political support for our calls MSPs across political parties backed our demands for a Climate Shock Fund and a dedicated Scottish Landscape Resilience Summit.
• We took our message to the streets While the debate took place, we joined forces with supporters and the Scottish Rewilding Alliance outside Holyrood to make sure our message reached beyond the chamber and into the streets.
• But our interventions on climate resilience were ignored Despite support from across political parties, Agriculture Minister and debate chair Jim Fairlie chose to narrow the focus to emergency response. He ignored interventions on the crucial role rewilding plays in reducing wildfire risk in the first place, while completely sidestepping how restoring nature can help protect communities from other climate shocks like flooding.

The mounting evidence that rewilding works is becoming impossible to ignore. We’ll continue to share this evidence, move the conversation forward and hold our governments to account. 

As our recent report, Rewilding and Climate Resilience: wildfires, shows – long-term resilience comes from rewilding and creating a diverse mosaic of habitats in our landscapes that can hold water, create natural firebreaks and slow the spread of fires. 

Our message is getting through. But in England, Scotland and Wales, our governments are still trapped in short-term thinking. The UK Government’s Autumn Budget falls woefully short of the investment we need to restore wild nature. With wildlife, homes and lives at stake, Britain’s response to extreme weather must shift from just short-term firefighting to building lasting landscape resilience.

We’ll keep taking your demands directly to the people in power. Together with the Scottish Rewilding Alliance and the Welsh Rewilding Alliance, we’ll keep campaigning for a Climate Shock Fund to rewild Britain and restore landscapes that can weather the climate shocks ahead. 

With your support, we can Rewild to Recover.

• Add your name to our open letter to the Prime Minister calling for Britain to Rewild to Recover from extreme weather. If you’ve already signed, share with as many of your friends as you can.
• In Scotland, join the Scottish Rewilding Alliance in calling on the Scottish government to host a national Landscape Resilience Summit. 
• Keep contacting your local MP, MSP or MS to share your concerns and urge them to back rewilding in Britain’s response to climate shocks.