Agricultural rewilding with livestock: Lessons for implementation in Europe

Journal article

Agricultural rewilding is a novel concept positioned on a gradient between agroecology and rewilding, combining the restoration of ecological processes with agricultural production. While the strengths of, and opportunities associated with, this concept have been well laid out, weaknesses and potential issues have been less well explored. Here, we address this gap by complementing the outcomes of a scoping literature review, which included 20 sources, with 23 expert interviews to outline key considerations for broader adoption of agricultural rewilding with livestock. We also provide a map of relevant case studies in Europe and a SWOT overview. Our work suggests that agricultural rewilding with livestock may present a valuable and integrated approach for bridging the traditional divide between rewilding and farming. However, it faces challenges and barriers to implementation related to a lack of standards, associated monitoring frameworks and conducive policy environment. Solution. For agricultural rewilding to play a role in nature recovery in Europe, there is a need to develop clear guidelines, quantify outcomes and showcase success and create a supportive legislative context.

Authors: van Dooren, V; Montes Strevens, C; Pettorelli, N

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Wiley
• Journal: Ecological Solutions and Evidence
• Volume: 6
• Issue: 4
• Article number: e70135
• Publication date: 2025-10-13
• Acceptance date: 2025-08-29
• DOI: 10.1002/2688-8319.70135
• EISSN: 2688-8319
• ISSN: 2688-8319
• Language: English
• Keywords: agricultural rewilding; case studies; agriculture; rewilding; Europe; conservation; SWOT; livestock