Rewilding Expert Steve Carver Reveals Why Britain Is The Only Major European Country Without Wolves, How 1% Of People Block The Wildlife Coming Back, And Why He’ll Be Dead Before We’re “Mature Enough” To Live With Predators Again.

Wilderness scientist Steve Carver has spent 30 years mapping the wild places of Britain and Europe, and he says we’re failing in ways most people don’t realise. He reveals why Britain and Ireland are the only two major European countries without breeding wolf populations, why the Netherlands and Luxembourg have wolves walking through their towns while we have none, and why he believes he’ll be “dead and gone” before Britain reintroduces the wolf.

Steve Carver is the Director of the Wildland Research Institute at the University of Leeds, co-author of the IUCN’s globally recognised definition of rewilding, and a member of the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management Rewilding Thematic Group. He has mapped wilderness quality across Europe for the European Union and co-wrote the international guidelines for rewilding launched at the IUCN Congress.

He explains:◾ Why Britain and Ireland are the only major European countries with no breeding wolf populations◾ How there are now more wolves in continental Europe than in the lower 48 US states◾ Why wolves are not a wilderness-dependent species and live happily alongside humans in Dutch towns◾ Why he says Britain is “not mature enough” as a nation to reintroduce the wolf◾ How the “land, wealth, power nexus” of large UK landowners blocks rewilding progress◾ Why lynx, not wolves, are the realistic reintroduction proposition for the UK◾ How Rewilding Britain calculated that protecting 30% of land for nature would only impact around 3% of agricultural production◾ Why the famous Knepp Estate is “rewilding light” and not true rewilding by the IUCN definition◾ The truth about greenwashing and why he’s “suspicious of anybody who gets into rewilding to make money”

00:00 The Case for Rewilding in the UK

02:49 Challenges of Reintroducing Wolves and Lynx

05:58 Human-Wildlife Conflict and Coexistence

09:01 Ecological Roles of Predators

11:49 The Maturity of British Society Regarding Predators

15:10 Land Management and Rewilding Incentives

17:51 The Role of Landowners in Rewilding

21:10 Rewilding Models and Community Involvement

24:11 Economic Viability of Rewilding

26:52 The Future of Rewilding in the UK

29:48 Defining Rewilding and Its Goals

33:05 The Vision for a Rewilded UK

45:48 Exploring Rewilding Landscapes

49:07 Balancing Farmland and Nature

51:23 The Role of Marginal Agriculture

52:44 Integrating Green Infrastructure in Urban Areas

55:11 Consequences of Neglecting Green Spaces

56:19 Communicating the Benefits of Nature

58:16 Understanding Rewilding Misconceptions

01:00:30 The Joy of Ecological Succession

01:03:43 Critique of the NEP Estate

01:08:12 The Future of Rewilding in Agriculture

01:09:06 Concerns Over Green Finance

01:12:58 Private Sector Involvement in Rewilding

01:15:14 Imagining a Rewilded UK

01:16:58 Wildlife Corridors and Connectivity

01:20:12 Lessons from the Netherlands

01:22:55 The Need for a Connectivity Plan

01:26:35 Final Thoughts on Rewilding

Follow Steve:Wildland Research Institute – https://wildlandresearch.orgUniversity of Leeds – https://environment.leeds.ac.ukIUCN CEM Rewilding Thematic Group –

https://www.iucn.org

Follow Jacob:YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@jacobjwatsonhowlandWebsite – https://www.jacobwatsonhowland.comSpotify –