Rewilding Academy

's National Park is bringing its empty forest back to life - agoutis, howler monkeys, toucans & now blue-and-yellow macaws are reintroduced to restore lost seed dispersal networks.

The macaws? Still learning. 🦜

https://www.rfr.bz/f8665d261

Point Reyes National Seashore: Why and How

https://www.rfr.bz/ff5961602

Schwarzenegger's big five: Water buffalo, Konik horses, Tux-Zillertal cattle, donkeys, and - if all goes to plan - European bison. These are the "Big Five" of the Wild Solutions Park in Austria's , where a quiet experiment is taking shape on just 20 hectares of former farmland.

The project, backed by the Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative, uses large herbivores to restore habitat dynamics lost to centuries of intensive agriculture. Each species shapes the landscape differently — wallows become dragonfly pools, dung feeds beetles that aerate the soil, and a patchwork of niches emerges where monoculture once stood.

https://fm4.orf.at/story/rewilding-austria-100/rewilding-the-austrian-way

Today EcoJust publishes 'Back in the Crosshairs: Wolf poaching in the Netherlands', co-authored by Pauline Verheij and Naomi Louchouarn (Humane World for Animals), based on 6 months of investigation, 61 witnesses, and a decade of monitoring data. The findings indicate at least 41 poached since 2021 - nearly 1 in 7 wolves in the Netherlands - through shooting, road killing, and suspected poisoning, with evidence often deliberately destroyed.

Rather than isolated incidents, the report points to a loose network facilitated by rural social ties and social media, alongside wider drivers including rural grievances, governance gaps, fragmented enforcement, and political and social normalisation. This shows how tacit acceptance and silence can allow illegal activity to persist at system level, undermining recovery and even increasing livestock conflict by disrupting pack structure.

Full report:
https://www.ecojust.eu/wp-content/uploads/Rapport_Wolvenstroperij-in-Nederland_EcoJust_23062026_lowres.pdf?fbclid=IwY2xjawSnVSxleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETF5T3RrMGVhQ3hJakw2WWkyc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHpZ78gQXiv5KUPL8PrlCRNoIAVVw6pxhNm8zxZF9msJTm9h9wFRvK1xpi3zX_aem_WrhPWGTc0o-iO13BMb96mw

London’s newest flood-control system has four legs, big teeth, and a talent for building dams. 🦫

This city had a flooding problem. So it turned to an animal that had been extinct there for 400 years | CNN A few hundred feet from a McDonalds’ and a strip mall, sandwiched between busy and polluted roads, is a lush and thriving urban wetland, built by very unusual residents.

Rewilding Academy Engages In Eighth GEF Assembly As Global Environmental Action Accelerates Towards 2030

Rewilding Academy Engages in Eighth GEF Assembly as Global Environmental Action Accelerates Towards 2030 - Rewilding Academy Samarkand, Uzbekistan | 31 May – 6 June 2026 – The Rewilding Academy participated in the 71st Council...

The “mini-forest” method has inspired practitioners and communities worldwide by demonstrating how dense native planting can rapidly create green cover and supportive microclimates, particularly in urban and degraded landscapes. However, growing scientific discussion suggests it should not be viewed as a universal “one-size-fits-all” solution.

While positive outcomes have been observed, the evidence base remains relatively limited and context-dependent. Some of the reported growth benefits linked to high planting density are also known from agricultural systems, where closely spaced vegetation can improve humidity, shade, soil protection, and mutual support among plants.

This highlights the importance of using restoration methods that are nature-based, ecologically appropriate, and self-supporting over time, while adapting them to local conditions and continuing long-term monitoring to better understand where and when they are most effective.

https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/popular-miyawaki-reforestation-method-lacks-evidence-study-finds/

Could really be roaming the UK? 🐆🇬🇧

From the Beast of Bodmin to the “Cumbrian panther,” sightings and DNA evidence have kept the alive for decades.

Read more 👇

"DNA results showed the presence of either a leopard or jaguar..." 9 big cats that supposedly roam the UK, including the very real Cumbrian panther | Discover Wildlife We take a look at the big cats - both real and legend – that have roamed the wilds of the UK

Today we celebrate — a moment to stand up for nature across Europe 💚

Natura 2000 is the world’s largest coordinated network of protected areas, safeguarding thousands of forests, rivers, wetlands and coastlines across the EU. Thanks to the EU Birds and Habitats Directives, these places have protected wildlife for decades, while also supporting clean air, clean water, and healthier lives for people.

But these protections must not be weakened. As pressure grows to roll back environmental safeguards in the EU, we need to defend the laws that protect both nature and people.

On Natura 2000 Day, we celebrate what these protections have achieved — and call on leaders to strengthen them, not dismantle them.

✍️ Sign the petition now: https://www.rfr.bz/fa6c4d0