Rewilding Britain calls for greater investment in nature as appetite for rewilding outpaces support available
Rewilding Britain is calling for more resources and greater investment opportunities for rewilding as it awards more than £140,000 to eleven rewilding projects in what it reports is its most oversubscribed funding opportunity to date.
The charity is awarding up to £15,000 to eleven projects through its Rewilding Innovation Fund — a bi-annual fund that helps to foster the scale and ambition of rewilding in Britain — but reports that the quality, ambition and scope of the applications was so high that they would have awarded near six times that if they were able.
Rebecca Wrigley, Chief Executive of Rewilding Britain, said: “We’ve been awarding funding through the Rewilding Innovation Fund twice a year since 2021, and we’ve never seen such a surge in high-quality applications. The appetite for rewilding is clearly outpacing the resources available; we could have funded more than £600,000 worth of projects this round alone.”
“It’s inspiring to see rewilding grow not just in scale but in creativity, ambition and diversity. With more resources and greater investment in rewilding, we could enable so much more valuable work restoring biodiversity, protecting habitats and connecting people with nature across Britain.”
“With more resources and greater investment in rewilding, we could enable so much more valuable work restoring biodiversity, protecting habitats and connecting people with nature across Britain.” ”
Rebecca Wrigley
Chief Executive of Rewilding Britain
Of the eleven projects awarded funding, one is exploring reintroducing lost frogs, the smallest no bigger than a 50p piece, to Britain to help restore aquatic ecosystems, engage the public and inspire more rewilding. Westacre Estate in Norfolk offers a mosaic of ancient habitats as the foundation for the reintroduction of three frog species once part of Britain’s natural heritage: the Agile frog (Rana dalmatina), the Moor frog (R. arvalis), and the European tree frog (Hyla arborea) which is one of the smallest frog species in Europe.
Harvey Tweats, Westacre Estate Biodiversity Consultant and Celtic Rewilding Director, said: “Funding opportunities like the Rewilding Innovation Fund — a fund that embraces the innovation found within rewilding initiatives and supports the restoration of nature without a clearly defined goal — are still relatively rare and demand is getting ever higher. Without this transformative funding from Rewilding Britain, we would have needed to postpone this exciting project indefinitely as we have been unable to identify any variable alternative funding sources.”
Several funded projects are exploring ways to better connect communities with nature and rewilding to improve mental health and wellbeing and help combat climate anxiety.
The Discover Nature Award is a bold, youth-led initiative from charity Borders Forest Trust designed to reconnect young adults in Scotland with nature and empower them to take action. The scheme begins in local green spaces in Edinburgh and Glasgow, encouraging young people between 18 – 28 to explore Scotland’s climate and biodiversity challenges in their own neighbourhoods. The charity then provides free transport to their rewilding sites, bridging the gap between local nature connection and the benefits of rewilding, helping young people understand their place in the climate crisis.
Sam Knight, Discover Nature Award Manager at Borders Forest Trust, said: “With the Discover Nature Award, we wanted to create a free and accessible opportunity for all young people in Scotland to access nature, regardless of their background. This welcome funding from Rewilding Britain directly addresses two of the most significant barriers to achieving this: transport and outreach. Without it, our ability to scale and embed the Discover Nature Award as a long term, inclusive route into rewilding would have been significantly delayed.”
