Rewilding Landscapes & Ecosystems

Abstract

In the fight against Anthropogenic land use and climate change, rewilding has been one of the proposed solutions, promising to make ‘nature’ natural again. This form of ecological restoration is, however, contested, as a proper understanding of what just rewilding is has not been established. Based on a model for the governance of sustainability efforts, rewilding is divided into five modes, which are analysed using environmental justice (EJ). This is done to better understand how the governance of rewilding influences justice and how rewilding can be more just. This will be studied using a two-pronged approach: a qualitative analysis of a larger variety of rewilding efforts is conducted to understand whether different governing modes influence justice outcomes, whereas an in-depth case study is conducted to understand why these modes of governance (MoGs) do or do not influence justice in rewilding efforts. The results from these analyses indicate that no MoG trumps all others concerning EJ. Rather, it is engagement with all stakeholders early in the process which is of more importance in determining how just a rewilding project is likely to be. Moreover, it was found that extensive recognition of stakeholders should be the priority when aiming to achieve EJ, as only this could lead to just decision-making processes and distribution of costs and benefits. Future research could potentially delve more in-depth into the differences between MoGs and exactly what aspects of these MoGs can prove to be determinants for EJ outcomes. In shaping rewilding projects to be environmentally just, a potential part of the solution towards building a sustainable future can be achieved.