Rewilding is bogging us down. Let’s call it ‘nature recovery’

[UngulateNerd92]

A less-divisive term would help farmers and activists understand they share common ground, says the boss of Natural England.

Rewilding should be rebranded “nature recovery”, the chairman of Natural England has said, warning that the debate over the future of the countryside is becoming increasingly polarised.

Tony Juniper, 61, an environmentalist who has been head of the government’s nature agency since 2019, said opposing sides were becoming bogged down in a row over whether England’s landscape should be used to produce food or support wildlife. Instead, he said, the countryside must do both.

Rewilding is bogging us down. Let’s call it ‘nature recovery’ | News | The Sunday Times

 

[JVM]

I have never up to this thread seen 'rewilding' as a negative term, but thinking about the question -- people are often taught to associate 'wild' as the absence or opposite of humanity and civilization, and is often used to suggest unpredictability or chaos. I can see why farmers or some local people might see it as threatening on a subconscious level - agriculture is not wild. 'Nature' has no connotation of that sort; it is often associated with peace and harmony, most people will say they appreciate nature, even some who do not do so in a way we zoochatters would understand or agree with.

I think this new term could be a good, neutral middle ground.

 

[Swampy]

Any term is likely to be warped, misused, or acquire a broader meaning as a wider range of groups under the umbrella of environmentalism interact and engage with it. The issue is not with the term itself, it's a side effect of the whole process of engaging more people & organisations with nature.