The Meaning and Relevance of Rewilding in Scotland
MSc Dissertation
Calum Brown
University of Highlands and Islands
Summer 2008
Introduction
The concept of rewilding developed from the field of conservation biology in North America during the 1990s. Its principal contention is that the conservation of biodiversity is best served through the protection of species at or near the top of the food chain in large, connected areas. The chief architects of the theory define it as “the scientific argument for restoring big wilderness based on the regulatory role of large predators” (Soulé & Noss, 1998, p22). This claim is justified through a number of established theories, and has been empirically tested to some degree. It remains controversial, however, scientifically and politically, and has generated considerable discussion in North America.
Few investigations of rewilding’s applicability in other countries have been carried out, especially where social or political conditions appear to preclude it. This is true in Scotland, where conservation is often allied to the concept of sustainable development. As a result, a lack of consensus exists over the pertinence of rewilding here, its meaning and practical implications, making it difficult to distinguish from other restorative strategies.
Nonetheless, extensive degradation of natural ecosystems and changes in the economic basis of current land uses provide ample scope for such concepts in Scotland. In addition, a broader interpretation of rewilding, concerned with the restoration of natural processes, has developed over recent years in more densely populated or managed regions. With its ultimate objective of establishing populations of large carnivores, this formulation may have a significant role to play in Scottish conservation.
The aim of this thesis is to explore the theoretical cogency of the idea of rewilding as it has developed in international contexts and to consider its applicability in Scotland. Consequently, the background to the concept is addressed, followed by its philosophical and scientific development, and finally its potential place in Scottish conservation theory and practice. This is investigated through semi-structured interviews with representatives of 11 contemporary conservation projects with restorative aims related to those of rewilding. Their understanding of and attitudes to rewilding are assessed, along with its perceived compatibility with current conservation practice and Scottish land use. From this, its meaning and relevance to the contemporary Scottish environment is analysed.
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Related Pages
- Our Once and Future Fauna
- Wild, Free and Coming Back?: A two-day conference hosted by the Wildland Network and Trees for Life, 16 & 17 September 2008
- Postcard from Switzerland, from Caledonia Wild! Spring 2010
- Postcard from Slovakia, from Caledonia Wild! Summer 2009
- Postcard from Transylvania, from Caledonia Wild! Winter 2007
- Return of the Wild by Roy Dennis
- The Meaning and Relevance of Rewilding in Scotland (abstract of MSc dissertation)
- Rewilding Scotland (abstract of a documentary created as part of an MA in Multimedia Journalism in 2010)