D1.1 – First iteration estimates of rewilding area and potential

This deliverable (D1.1) presents the first iteration of EU-scale estimates of potential rewilding areas, developed within Work Package 1 (WP1) of the WILDCARD project. It examines where, and to what extent, land in Europe could become available for rewilding as result of agricultural abandonment and reduced forest management (proforestation). This analysis provides the foundation for subsequent deliverables that will assess trade-offs, biodiversity outcomes, and policy implications, and is designed to incorporate new insights generated across WILDCARD’s WPs. While the specific rewilding scenario will undergo further refinement and potential variations in light of findings from WP2, 3 and 4, the other scenarios presented here can be considered final. The next Deliverable 1.3 will therefore only present final versions of the rewilding scenario(s) after updating. 

The objective of this deliverable is to quantify and map the spatial probability of rewilding across Europe under multiple socioeconomic and environmental futures. The work aims to identify hotspots of forest regeneration and rewilding arising from set-aside forests (proforestation) and agricultural abandonment, thereby providing an initial, spatially explicit understanding of how rewilding opportunities vary across regions and scenarios.

Margherita Penna, Natalie Davis, Peter Verburg