Rewilding

The most recent physical remains are a b it more than a few hundred years ago, but post-Roman at least. There was massive deforestation in the British Isles during the medieval period which was probably the main cause of extinction:
https://www.researchgate.net/public...f_Eurasian_lynx_Lynx_lynx_in_medieval_Britain

Ok, thanks for sharing @Zoovolunteer !

Yes, the early medieval period as you say is a bit more than a couple of centuries ago as @Jurek7 seemed to suggest.

I'm sure that if lynx did persist beyond the Roman age the species would have likely been functionally extinct probably by the dark ages.
 
Hence, part of modern Quartenary Holocene fauna for the isles. It is not that long ago geologically a land bridge existed to European continent either.

Yes, but I do think there has to be a bit more realism / pragmatism exercised in the selection of Quartenary Holocene fauna for rewilding in the British isles / Ireland than is necessary in continental Europe.

*By that I am specifically referring to some of the ideas about wolves and brown bear.
 
The current disconnect goes beyond predators with exotic invasives abound like sika (aside of the issue of interbreeding which has impacted the genetic integrity of red deer here) and muntjac while media storms rail over wolf or lynx don't you think?

I would be very much in favour of the need to regulate deer populations with the introduction of keystone predator species. Obviously, the research predating a project along with criteria for relevance and feasability need to be followed through. The IUCN reintroduction criteria are quite clear on that.

As to Europe continental you are right that resurgence of apex predators is a near natural phenomenon for the most part. A few active reintroduction projects for lynx and wild cat aside.
 
The current disconnect goes beyond predators with exotic invasives abound like sika (aside of the issue of interbreeding which has impacted the genetic integrity of red deer here) and muntjac while media storms rail over wolf or lynx don't you think?

I would be very much in favour of the need to regulate deer populations with the introduction of keystone predator species. Obviously, the research predating a project along with criteria for relevance and feasability need to be followed through. The IUCN reintroduction criteria are quite clear on that.

As to Europe continental you are right that resurgence of apex predators is a near natural phenomenon for the most part. A few active reintroduction projects for lynx and wild cat aside.

Oh I absolutely agree with you on the need to naturally regulate deer populations, reintroduce large keystone predators and facilitate natural recolonisation too but in continental Europe.

However, I don't think the UK or Ireland have the requisite environmental , spatial or socio-ecological conditions (or indeed cultural) to support the reintroduction of wolves or bears.

I think that in the case of the British Isles and Ireland the best bet would be a focus on reintroducing and facilitating the recolonisation of small to medium sized carnivores.
 
The most recent physical remains are a b it more than a few hundred years ago, but post-Roman at least. There was massive deforestation in the British Isles during the medieval period which was probably the main cause of extinction:
https://www.researchgate.net/public...f_Eurasian_lynx_Lynx_lynx_in_medieval_Britain

Thanks for correcting me, It is indeed more than few, ten and few centuries.

But it is worth reading this article to understand the methodology: how few digs or discoveries were made, how few physical remains of animals are known, how few, casual and often difficult to understand are mentions of wild animals in ancient texts. This was my point, that our knowledge of historic distribution of wild animals is a very minimum, a huge under-estimate.
 
Do not forget ecosystem aka reforestation.

With wolves I remain on the fence line.

I doubt very much that widescale reforestation would be possible across much of the British Isles and even with it this wouldn't be enough to sustain wolves.

The most reliable analysis of the history of wolves in the UK that I've seen strongly suggested that they had reached carrying capacity in Great Britain by the Anglo Saxon Age / Dark Ages and were well on the way to functional extinction and that was even with large tracts of forest.
 
Oh I absolutely agree with you on the need to naturally regulate deer populations, reintroduce large keystone predators and facilitate natural recolonisation too but in continental Europe.

However, I don't think the UK or Ireland have the requisite environmental , spatial or socio-ecological conditions (or indeed cultural) to support the reintroduction of wolves or bears.

I think that in the case of the British Isles and Ireland the best bet would be a focus on reintroducing and facilitating the recolonisation of small to medium sized carnivores.
I agree about wolves and bears - I cannot see the possibility of the reintroduction of these potentially dangerous predators to the UK outside of fenced enclosures being politically possible even with habitat restoration. At the moment the Vincent Wildlife Trust is working with various mustelids, especially Pine Marten, and bats. Possible other mammals being looked at are European Wild Cat in Wales and Lynx, possibly in Scotland., They have a good website here: The Vincent Wildlife Trust – Safeguarding the future of mammals in Britain and Ireland
 
I doubt very much that widescale reforestation would be possible across much of the British Isles and even with it this wouldn't be enough to sustain wolves.

The most reliable analysis of the history of wolves in the UK that I've seen strongly suggested that they had reached carrying capacity in Great Britain by the Anglo Saxon Age / Dark Ages and were well on the way to functional extinction and that was even with large tracts of forest.

While reintroduction of wolves at this moment is likely not a good idea, I'm personally of the opinion that the major concerns are societal and not ecological. If rewilding was taken seriously in the uplands of the UK I don't think it is impossible in the long run to create the conditions in which wolves can thrive, even if only a small number of them. Of course, societal concerns should be taken seriously and I don't think we will be seeing the major shift necessary to facilitate wolf reintroduction.

But the exciting thing with rewilding is that it can be adapted to the local societal circumstances. The only targets and goals are to make the landscape richer and wilder again, not to reach some kind of "pristine" condition. I think the Knepp Estate is a good example of rewilding within the societal constrains of the UK. Even though they use mainly free-roaming domestic animals and lack all large predators, they've been able to bring back several important ecological processes, experienced a huge rise in biodiversity and are now home to many species of conservation concern. Even without wolf, boar and beaver, western Europe could easily become much wilder than it is today.
 
I agree about wolves and bears - I cannot see the possibility of the reintroduction of these potentially dangerous predators to the UK outside of fenced enclosures being politically possible even with habitat restoration. At the moment the Vincent Wildlife Trust is working with various mustelids, especially Pine Marten, and bats. Possible other mammals being looked at are European Wild Cat in Wales and Lynx, possibly in Scotland., They have a good website here: The Vincent Wildlife Trust – Safeguarding the future of mammals in Britain and Ireland
Wolves and bears are not dangerous animals they deserve far more respect than age old myths about big bad predators. The very reason bears and wolves have been exterminated across Europe is indiscriminate human persecution and killing of apex predator wildlife. And that includes the UK.

I agree that societal not ecological concerns have as yet prevented any substantial sound discourse on the subject. This goes beyond these and has also been true of beaver and possibly if it ever goes forward wild cat reintroduction into the UK.

Reforestation is already happening on the Scottish highlands with native species and this in a very peculiar way is also a good method for making habitats more diverse and attractive to other wildlife. Dormice, red squirrel ... et cetera.

BTW: @Zootycoon, wolves and bears have already made a comeback in parts of Western Europe. Your last line has been superseded by recent developments. The Netherlands now have 12 European Gray wolves and 20+ wild cats and lynx are knocking on the door from south in Belgian Ardennes and Limburg.
 
Just seen today that a coalition of conservation organisations (Scotland: The Big Picture, the Vincent Wildlife Trust and Trees for Life) have launched a new project called Lynx for Scotland. Rather than looking at the biological feasibility, which has been done repeatedly and found there is ample prey and habitat available, this project will look at people's beliefs and perceptions around the concept of lynx reintroduction. If all identified cultural barriers can be addressed, this may eventually evolve into a trial reintroduction project.

Quite interestingly, the FAQs about the project do ask when lynx became extinct in Britain - they suggest that carbon dating from bone remains and cultural evidence suggest that lynx were last in Britain 500 years ago.

The project website is included below:
Lynx to Scotland | SCOTLAND: The Big Picture
 
Here you have an international forum, so for British people at least this is a chance to learn from users who live in areas where big carnivores and other big animals still (or again) live in densely populated areas. There must be a hundred members who live not far from wild wolves, some users from the U.S., Canada and Scandinavia live next to bears, coyotes and cougars and so on.

I was going to post this as I am close to those working on the lynx initiative in Scotland: Cairngorms and Argyll.

In Britain, the problem is neither biological nor social. It is well known that large carnivorous birds and mammals can biologically thrive in Britain now, and the majority of people welcome it.

The problem is bureaucy or legal: how to prevent a small minority of naysayers from blocking the plan. Because there is very little cost of protesting, a small minority of people in Britain can block release of big animals with little or no rational argument. Simply because they can.

In other countries, this is commonly overcome by bribery, creating some broader plan which gives some funds to the local community together with wildlife protection, especially under the guise of developing tourism or green infrastructure. This is far from safe, because often local communities consume the money and still object the conservation. Another plan might be making use of land ownership peculiar to Britain. Find a large area of land where owners support wildlife. Release animals there, and hope that opponents elsewhere are more big mouth and little action and would not effectively kill the animals when they spread elsewhere.
 
Wolves and bears are not dangerous animals they deserve far more respect than age old myths about big bad predators. The very reason bears and wolves have been exterminated across Europe is indiscriminate human persecution and killing of apex predator wildlife. And that includes the UK.

I agree that societal not ecological concerns have as yet prevented any substantial sound discourse on the subject. This goes beyond these and has also been true of beaver and possibly if it ever goes forward wild cat reintroduction into the UK.

Reforestation is already happening on the Scottish highlands with native species and this in a very peculiar way is also a good method for making habitats more diverse and attractive to other wildlife. Dormice, red squirrel ... et cetera.

BTW: @Zootycoon, wolves and bears have already made a comeback in parts of Western Europe. Your last line has been superseded by recent developments. The Netherlands now have 12 European Gray wolves and 20+ wild cats and lynx are knocking on the door from south in Belgian Ardennes and Limburg.

Sorry Kifaru but they are potentially dangerous which is not to say that the old exagerated fairy tales and historic malignment of these animals as "the big bad wolf" have any truth or are at all justified.

Wolves do occasionally kill people and even in Europe as there have been documented historic cases of this as recently as the 1980's and 1970's in Spain.

Bears also can be potentially dangerous under certain circumstances too.

Here you have an international forum, so for British people at least this is a chance to learn from users who live in areas where big carnivores and other big animals still (or again) live in densely populated areas. There must be a hundred members who live not far from wild wolves, some users from the U.S., Canada and Scandinavia live next to bears, coyotes and cougars and so on.



In Britain, the problem is neither biological nor social. It is well known that large carnivorous birds and mammals can biologically thrive in Britain now, and the majority of people welcome it.

The problem is bureaucy or legal: how to prevent a small minority of naysayers from blocking the plan. Because there is very little cost of protesting, a small minority of people in Britain can block release of big animals with little or no rational argument. Simply because they can.

In other countries, this is commonly overcome by bribery, creating some broader plan which gives some funds to the local community together with wildlife protection, especially under the guise of developing tourism or green infrastructure. This is far from safe, because often local communities consume the money and still object the conservation. Another plan might be making use of land ownership peculiar to Britain. Find a large area of land where owners support wildlife. Release animals there, and hope that opponents elsewhere are more big mouth and little action and would not effectively kill the animals when they spread elsewhere.

I know you are a maverick and an out of the box thinker @Jurek7 and I respect that but you make some very big and unsubstantiated claims in that comment which really do not match the reality of the situation.

If you think that the ecological and social conditions in the UK are ripe for the reintroduction of wolves then you really do need to adjust your optics and take another look as nothing could be further from the truth.

I feel the UK and Ireland should be focusing on rewilding on a smaller and more realistic scale with smaller carnivores and that the rewilding of wolves and bears should be left to the continental Europeans who do have the requisite biological and social conditions which would permit these animals to recolonise and thrive.
 
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Wild Ken Hill, the site of the fenced beaver project in Norfolk, has today announced plans for a reintroduction of white-tailed eagles. Under the proposed plan, 6-12 juvenile birds will be released annually over a 5-year period, with the aim of establishing a breeding population by 2026-2029.

Particularly exciting with regards to this project is that one of Norfolk's leading pig farmers has given their support (among over 20 other farmers, landowners and countryside organisations). It was concerns about predation on outdoor livestock such as piglets that stopped a reintroduction attempt to Norfolk in 2008. Also, some concern on predation upon endangered birds such as bitterns played a role in the halting of the 2008 project; the RSPB has now said it is 'strongly supportive' of the Wild Ken Hill eagle reintroduction.

More information can be found in the link below:
White-tailed eagle may be reintroduced into West Norfolk
 
I know you are a maverick and an out of the box thinker @Jurek7 and I respect that but you make some very big and unsubstantiated claims in that comment which really do not match the reality of the situation.

Download yourself the current map of distribution of wolves and brown bears in Europe, and match it against the map of human population density and big cities. You will see that they live now near several big cities and major tourist areas, where thousands or millions of people use the forest for recreation, forestry etc. From my memory, there are wolves within city limits of Dresden, near Warsaw (2m people) and near many Swiss ski areas. Although there are probably many other places. And yes, if you google 'poll wolves iBritain' you will see that the majority of modern British support reintroduction of wolves. For example:

Poll: should wolves be reintroduced to Scotland? - TFN

That is why traditional English attitude towards predatory animals is becoming slightly outdated.
 
Download yourself the current map of distribution of wolves and brown bears in Europe, and match it against the map of human population density and big cities. You will see that they live now near several big cities and major tourist areas, where thousands or millions of people use the forest for recreation, forestry etc. From my memory, there are wolves within city limits of Dresden, near Warsaw (2m people) and near many Swiss ski areas. Although there are probably many other places. And yes, if you google 'poll wolves iBritain' you will see that the majority of modern British support reintroduction of wolves. For example:

Poll: should wolves be reintroduced to Scotland? - TFN

That is why traditional English attitude towards predatory animals is becoming slightly outdated.

Not at all comparable @Jurek7 , these countries that you are referring to are European mainland countries (not an island) with far more forrested habitat for wolves than Great Britain has.

I know that wolves have been found to frequent cities and their outskirts in Italy, Spain, Germany, Russia and many parts of Eastern Europe but how does that relate to the UK which is over 83% urbanized ?
 
A photo trap program ordered by our army at restricted military training area Hradiště (Doupovské mountains near Karlovy Vary town, western Bohemia) was meant to find our if lynx from Šumava reintroduction have finally settled there or not.

Not a single lynx was found in 2 years. But other species emerged on photos - European wild cats. Till now, more than 10 individual animals were identified there, including 1 almost-grown cub. This is officially the first permanent breeding population of wild cat in our country after many decades. Hard to tell the origin - either they come from reintroduction program in Bavaria, or from relict Central-German populations.
 
A photo trap program ordered by our army at restricted military training area Hradiště (Doupovské mountains near Karlovy Vary town, western Bohemia) was meant to find our if lynx from Šumava reintroduction have finally settled there or not.

Not a single lynx was found in 2 years. But other species emerged on photos - European wild cats. Till now, more than 10 individual animals were identified there, including 1 almost-grown cub. This is officially the first permanent breeding population of wild cat in our country after many decades. Hard to tell the origin - either they come from reintroduction program in Bavaria, or from relict Central-German populations.

Thats really interesting, I had no idea that the European wildcat had disappeared from the Czech Republic.

Why did it disappear ? was it overhunting, habitat destruction or disease outbreaks ?
 
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