Wildlife activists in Britain are taking matters into their own hands, illegally breeding butterflies, birds and beavers, and releasing them to stop their extinction and restore biodiversity across the country. According to a report by Positive News, hundreds of native plants and animals were lost over the past couple of centuries alone in Britain, and one in six of Britain’s surviving species is now threatened with extinction. Reintroducing lost species is not a priority for the UK government, which last week confirmed that bringing back lost species is “not a priority”. This has outraged a growing group of guerrilla rewilders who refuse to play by the rules, concerned by the rapid decline of nature in the country.
Derek Gow, a leading figure in the movement, has been restoring species like water voles, white storks and beavers, which have stoked plenty of controversy along the way. Gow’s latest project is to restore wildcats to the woods of Devon, where they were found more than 100 years ago. He and the local wildlife trust are in the middle of a feasibility study to show that the animals, native for Britain, can coexist peacefully in the south of England.
Guerrilla rewilding has raised objections from some conservation groups for spreading diseases and altering fragile ecosystems. There are also fears that setting free controversial species will weaken and polarise the debate over nature restoration. Established procedures for conservation translocations are said to be too onerous and restrictive for those involved in guerrilla rewilding.
To release an extinct species in England, a licence is required, and the same goes for a number of native species that have already been reintroduced. Anyone considering releasing a sanctioned species has to comply with extensive guidelines, which can prove costly and are monitored for planning, consultations and licensing. Despite the environmental crisis, the UK government’s ambition is unambitious. Last year, the UK government set a target to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030 and then grow it by 10% over the following 12 years, but environmental groups say this is far too little too late
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