I read a lot about rewilding. No other country in Europe appears to be experiencing the same frenzy of privately-driven, headline-making animal reintroductions than the UK. In fact, this trend is observed with curiosity from abroad. 1/n https://twitter.com/BrambleBotanist/status/1352901830074916865

2/n it's not to say there are no reintroductions in Europe. Wolves, beavers, bears, bearded vultures...many of these reintroductions have been successful, despite being done within strict scientific frameworks.

3/n A strong element of many European projects has been the removal of the cause of decline/loss prior to the reintroduction (hunting, habitat fragmentation, water pollution etc). They also often focus on historical areas of presence (esp in the case of recent loss)

4/n These are not quick wins. Even with favourable habitats, bringing back viable populations is tough. Another important aspect is reconciling human activities with reintroductions eg farmers. Again, this takes planning, consultation, mitigation, financial compensation.

5/n The actors behind UK reintroduction projects say that conservation bodies/org have "failed nature" due to the complexity of reintro projects, that storks, beavers etc will "inspire" and lead to action.

6/n How much of this will be translated into actual habitat restoration? How have the impacts of reintroductions on existing fauna/flora been assessed? Wouldn't it be better to focus on the long list of threatened species first (eg a relatively "easy" bird such as skylarks?)

7/n I keep asking questions but no one is able to reply. I get the willingness to act, it should be harnessed. But why not try to improve the current framework instead of trying a radically different method? I'm not saying it doesn't work, but there are significant risks.

8/n of course, the UK has particularities: high land cost, private ownership, a complicated gov. structure, reliance on volunteering in conservation...but do those justify the dismissal of scientific approach (even simple impact assessments)?

9/n in addition to appropriate habitats, another element which I think is important is genetics - this has led to issues with early projects in Europe. Some of the UK reintroductions appear to overlook this. A minor omission or potential risks?

10/n Ultimately, I see this debate as highly two-sided, with those advocating quick, showy actions and those in favour of more traditional, scientific plans. Will the reintro projects of wealthy land owners lead to true nature recovery...

11/n...or will they increase "Wilderness gentrification", a sense of disconnect between ordinary land users and rewilders/rewilding tourists, with little large-scale improvement? Only time will tell...