Rewilding – Departures in Conservation Policy and Practice? an Evaluation of Developments in Britain
Rewilding has been hailed as ‘radical’ and ‘agenda-setting’ in the challenge it poses to mainstream conservation. This paper questions whether that is still the case, or if rewilding is now being mainstreamed and with what consequences? Our analysis focuses upon developments in Britain, up until 201...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2020-01-01
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Series: | Conservation & Society |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://www.conservationandsociety.org/article.asp?issn=0972-4923;year=2020;volume=18;issue=2;spage=89;epage=102;aulast=Wynne-Jones |
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author | Sophie Wynne-Jones Graham Strouts Callum O'Neil Chris Sandom |
author_facet | Sophie Wynne-Jones Graham Strouts Callum O'Neil Chris Sandom |
author_sort | Sophie Wynne-Jones |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Rewilding has been hailed as ‘radical’ and ‘agenda-setting’ in the challenge it poses to mainstream conservation. This paper questions whether that is still the case, or if rewilding is now being mainstreamed and with what consequences? Our analysis focuses upon developments in Britain, up until 2018, discussing what changes have become manifest and the barriers and restraints that have been observed. As such, we evaluate the extent to which rewilding – in practice - departs from longstanding conservation sensibilities. Discussion is structured around three key questions— Who is now involved in rewilding across Britain? What they are seeking to do, in terms of how nature is conceptualised and managed (or not)? In what ways do their objectives involve people and human-centred aspirations? Our findings reveal three key differences from current conservation approaches. First, rewilding is associated with a proliferation of new actors, new mechanisms of finance and new spaces of conservation interest. Second, rewilding as an approach exhibits clear novelty in its stated aim to be nature-led and, despite challenges, attempts to work through ongoing negotiation and experimentation. Finally, rewilding is currently being advocated and pursued as an agenda for people and nature, which moves beyond earlier nature conservation paradigms of protecting nature from human influence. However, it remains to be seen whether rewilding advocates can realise their ambitions to popularise and create peopled wild spaces across Britain's landscapes. |
first_indexed | 2024-12-11T06:45:22Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-81b2766eed0d4653aa6737521ebd5416 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 0972-4923 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-12-11T06:45:22Z |
publishDate | 2020-01-01 |
publisher | Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications |
record_format | Article |
series | Conservation & Society |
spelling | doaj.art-81b2766eed0d4653aa6737521ebd54162022-12-22T01:17:06ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsConservation & Society0972-49232020-01-011828910210.4103/cs.cs_19_32Rewilding – Departures in Conservation Policy and Practice? an Evaluation of Developments in BritainSophie Wynne-JonesGraham StroutsCallum O'NeilChris SandomRewilding has been hailed as ‘radical’ and ‘agenda-setting’ in the challenge it poses to mainstream conservation. This paper questions whether that is still the case, or if rewilding is now being mainstreamed and with what consequences? Our analysis focuses upon developments in Britain, up until 2018, discussing what changes have become manifest and the barriers and restraints that have been observed. As such, we evaluate the extent to which rewilding – in practice - departs from longstanding conservation sensibilities. Discussion is structured around three key questions— Who is now involved in rewilding across Britain? What they are seeking to do, in terms of how nature is conceptualised and managed (or not)? In what ways do their objectives involve people and human-centred aspirations? Our findings reveal three key differences from current conservation approaches. First, rewilding is associated with a proliferation of new actors, new mechanisms of finance and new spaces of conservation interest. Second, rewilding as an approach exhibits clear novelty in its stated aim to be nature-led and, despite challenges, attempts to work through ongoing negotiation and experimentation. Finally, rewilding is currently being advocated and pursued as an agenda for people and nature, which moves beyond earlier nature conservation paradigms of protecting nature from human influence. However, it remains to be seen whether rewilding advocates can realise their ambitions to popularise and create peopled wild spaces across Britain's landscapes.http://www.conservationandsociety.org/article.asp?issn=0972-4923;year=2020;volume=18;issue=2;spage=89;epage=102;aulast=Wynne-Jonesrewildingconservation governanceanthropocenefuture-naturebiopolitics |
spellingShingle | Sophie Wynne-Jones Graham Strouts Callum O'Neil Chris Sandom Rewilding – Departures in Conservation Policy and Practice? an Evaluation of Developments in Britain Conservation & Society rewilding conservation governance anthropocene future-nature biopolitics |
title | Rewilding – Departures in Conservation Policy and Practice? an Evaluation of Developments in Britain |
title_full | Rewilding – Departures in Conservation Policy and Practice? an Evaluation of Developments in Britain |
title_fullStr | Rewilding – Departures in Conservation Policy and Practice? an Evaluation of Developments in Britain |
title_full_unstemmed | Rewilding – Departures in Conservation Policy and Practice? an Evaluation of Developments in Britain |
title_short | Rewilding – Departures in Conservation Policy and Practice? an Evaluation of Developments in Britain |
title_sort | rewilding departures in conservation policy and practice an evaluation of developments in britain |
topic | rewilding conservation governance anthropocene future-nature biopolitics |
url | http://www.conservationandsociety.org/article.asp?issn=0972-4923;year=2020;volume=18;issue=2;spage=89;epage=102;aulast=Wynne-Jones |
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