Resource description:
Over the past decade, rewilding has become a mainstream approach in nature conservation and is increasingly gaining traction in policy at the national and international level (Carver et al., 2025). Rewilding landscapes is now widely discussed as a land conservation strategy capable of contributing to biodiversity conservation goals while also supporting climate change mitigation.
This Deliverable aims to assess public perceptions on two specific rewilding strategies, as defined in WILDCARD Description of the Action: proforestation, defined as the cessation of forest management to allow spontaneous forest development, and natural afforestation of abandoned land, defined as the recovery of shrubs and/or trees on cleared lands through spontaneous regrowth following the cessation of previous disturbance or land use.
By clarifying how perceptions from different stakeholder groups contribute to shape positive and/or negative local evaluations, of rewilding strategies, this research provides evidence to inform actions and policies at European, national and local levels.
The deliverable addresses three objectives:
1. To provide a general assessment of EU citizens’ perceptions of rewilding options in selected countries;
2. To identify perceptions of EU- and national- level policymakers regarding the governance of abandoned land and proforestation;
3. To examine local-level stakeholders’ perceptions and acceptability of rewilding and specific rewilding options.
Author/Contact:
Carmen Rodriguez, Lyla O’Brien, Theresa Frei, Marie-Theres Dyckhoff, Arthur Le Bigot, Laura Bouriaud, Liviu Nichiforel, Dorin Pălie, Ionut Balabașciuc