As the concept becomes more widely embraced, there was positive news when it came to rewilding and various species reintroductions in 2020. They haven’t roamed the country for thousands of years, but bison are poised to return to English woodland as part of a £1m rewilding project in Blean Woods, Kent, in was revealed in July. A herd of European bison will be in their new home by spring 2022, say conservationists. The breed is the closest living relative to the ancient steppe bison and is attributed with engineering woodland habitats for butterflies, beetles and other species by felling trees and disrupting earth.

Elsewhere in the UK, projects to reintroduce beavers, white-tailed eagles, red kites and the enormous Dalmatian pelican made for exciting updates; volunteers stepped in to look after young trees as part of a rewilding project in the Highlands of Scotland; river restoration projects noted successes; hen harriers enjoyed their best breeding year in England for nearly two decades; Rewilding Britain published a reforesting roadmap, and a new project to launch a Rewilding Network is one to watch in 2021. Further afield, the Iberian lynx is recovering after efforts to save it – the world’s most endangered feline – and the European bison – the same species coming to Kent – stepped back from the brink of extinction.

Image: Dalmatian pelicans, by Birger Strahl