From Plough to Prairie: How Large Herbivores Drive Biodiversity Restoration on Rewilded Farmland
A. Across Europe, vast tracts of land once dedicated to intensive agriculture are being reimagined. Faced with declining soil fertility, economic unprofitability, and a continent-wide loss of biodiversity, landowners and conservationists are turning to a radical approach: rewilding. This practice seeks to restore natural ecosystem processes and repair damaged landscapes, often with minimal human intervention. While rewilding can take many forms, one of the most compelling strategies involves abandoning the plough and reintroducing large herbivores to post-agricultural landscapes. This article will explore how these animals, acting as 'ecosystem engineers,' are the primary catalysts for restoring biodiversity on former farmland. B. At the heart of this approach is a concept that challenges traditional conservation. For decades, conservation often focused on preservation: fencing off a spe...
Topic: How Rewilding Projects Restore Biodiversity in Former Farmland · 742 words · intermediate