rewilding

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noun

re·​wild·​ing (ˌ)rē-ˈwī(-ə)l-diŋ 

: an effort to increase biodiversity and restore the natural processes of an ecosystem that typically involves reducing or ceasing human activity and often the planned reintroduction of a plant or animal species and especially a keystone species

Rewilding—giving nature the space and opportunity to express itself—is largely a leap of faith.

—Isabella Tree

Large-scale domestic rewilding projects include dam removal in the Pacific Northwest and in the Northeast to facilitate the return of several endangered species of salmon, as well as reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone National Park, which stabilized and reinvigorated the ecosystem.

—Carey Smith

The concept of rewilding creates hope; it gives the opportunity to set things right, to link protected areas through corridors, to bring back species once lost, and to revitalize our forests, rivers, and wetlands with all forms of life.

—Bahar Dutt

The truth of when this forest actually existed and why it disappeared is murky. … Now, a group of visionary conservationists and ecotourism companies are working to revive the landscape through rewilding.

—Chloe Berge

rewilding

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present participle of rewild

Examples of rewilding in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Several rewilding projects on the islands of Rodrigues and Mauritius, about 700 miles south of here, are using tortoises from Aldabra to do the work formerly provided by three extinct species. —Kevin Gepford, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Apr. 2025

In 2024, Rewilding Europe disbursed 20 million euros to support rewilding efforts across Europe. —Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 7 Apr. 2025

New York premiere of The Shepherd and the Bear, directed by Max Keegan, a documentary about the consequences of an ursine rewilding program in the French Pyrénées. —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 3 Apr. 2025

Once under control, efforts expanded into large-scale reef restoration and marine rewilding. —Andi Cross, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

rewild + -ing entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1993, in the meaning defined above