We cut down forests and churn up the soil to plant our crops or build human habitations. The life that lived there either goes away or dies.
Is there a solution?
The definition of rewilding has shifted over the years. Generally, though, it involves humans essentially backing off from an area and letting it do its thing. Chernobyl is probably the most well-known example of rewilding. Once humans abandoned the area due to the devastation of the 1986 nuclear blast and resulting radiation, the ecosystem slowly rebalanced itself. Now, even though the effects of the radiation linger, flora and fauna are thriving; the area even boasts rare and endangered species.
Though the rewilding gold standard is to have as little human involvement as possible, other variations of the practice call for us guiding things a little bit. Sometimes, this means breaking down humanmade barriers, like dams, and letting an area revert back to its natural state. Other times, experts might have to give things more of a jump start, reintroducing species that once flourished in a region. And if those once-present species have gone extinct, researchers will sometimes use the next-best species, introducing it in the original’s place.
This isn’t just a deal for “green freaks” but for all of us. Healthy lands provide healthy places for us to regain our humanity – and health.
More @ What is Rewilding? Scientists' New Roadmap For Restoring Ecosystems - The Crux
