🔍 Episode Summary
Is rewilding just about wolves and wilderness, headset against farmers and rural communities, or something much more hopeful and human? In this episode of Saving the World from Bad Ideas, Mark Lynas is joined by Rebecca Wrigley, Chief Executive of Rewilding Britain, to unpack Bad Idea #17: “Rewilding VS the people.”
Together, they challenge some of the biggest myths surrounding rewilding. From fears of people being kicked off land to the notion that it’s anti-farmer. They reveal what rewilding actually means: restoring natural processes at scale, with people and communities at the heart. They discuss how rewilding is about practical solutions and land management to meet the challenges of the 21st century — from marine zones to city parks, from beavers to glow worms.
Whether you’re a farmer, policymaker, activist, or someone with a window box, this episode shows that rewilding isn’t about returning to the past — it’s about releasing the future.
🧠 Topics Discussed
● 🐺 The myth that rewilding is only about bringing back predators, and removing humans
● 🌱 What rewilding actually means — and why it’s for people too
● 🧑🌾 Rewilding and farming: from conflict to cooperation
● 💡 Why rewilding should be part of our national infrastructure strategy
● 🌊 The ecological and economic case for marine rewilding
● 🐻 Keystone species: beavers, lynx, deer, and the “beaver deceiver”
● 🌍 Rewilding Britain’s goal: 30% of land and sea for rewilding
● 🧭 How local rewilding networks are revitalising communities
● 🧬 Why rewilding is about future adaptation, not past restoration
● 🏡 How you can rewild your garden, park — or even your street
👩🏫 Guest Bio
Rebecca Wrigley is Chief Executive and co-founder of Rewilding Britain, an NGO driving systems change for the large-scale restoration of ecosystems on land and sea. With a background in conservation and community development in Uganda, Mexico, and the Pacific, she’s helped pioneer rewilding in the UK for the last decade. Under her leadership, Rewilding Britain now supporters rewilding across about 180,000 hectares and campaigns for policies that normalise rewilding as a productive, people-powered approach to land and marine use.
📚 Recommended Reading & Resources
● Rewilding Britain ● Feral – George Monbiot
● “Wilding” (book & documentary) – Isabella Tree
● Ocean – BBC documentary on marine rewilding
● National Food Strategy (UK)
● Global Rewilding Alliance – globalrewilding.org
● Rewilding Europe – rewildingeurope.com
● Why Valley Wilding & Wild Ken Hill – community-based rewilding models
● Public Goods Subsidies in UK Agriculture Policy
💬 Quote Highlights
“Rewilding is not about going back to the past — it's about releasing the future.” — Rebecca Wrigley
“Every ecosystem needs balance. In the absence of wolves, sometimes that means human stalkers managing deer.”
“We subsidise sheep farming in the uplands — but ask nothing of that land in return. Rewilding can do so much more.”
“You can rewild your garden, your local park, your street verge. It’s not just for landowners — it’s for everyone.”
“Natural process-led management should be a discipline in every agricultural college.”
🌐 About WePlanetWePlanet is a global citizen and science movement challenging bad ideas and championing evidence-based solutions for climate, nature, and human development. Learn more at weplanet.org.
📥 Join the Conversation 💬 Feedback or questions? Email: podcast@weplanet.org 📩 Subscribe to new episodes: weplanet.org/podcast 👁️ Follow us on Twitter/X: @weplanetint
