20 March marks the global celebration of World Rewilding Day, whose theme this year is #ChooseOurFuture—a reminder that the decisions we make today in favour of nature will determine the health of ecosystems and the wellbeing of people tomorrow.
Building on work initiated three years ago at a large landscape scale in the Iberian Highlands and the recent launch of support for both public and private owners of smaller landholdings, Rewilding Spain is consolidating Spain’s position as a leading country in the development of rewilding initiatives across Europe.
Thanks to collaboration between public administrations at different levels, local associations across the territory, donors, professionals, media organisations, volunteers, scientists, protected natural areas, businesses and entrepreneurs, and local communities, rewilding is progressing through actions and achievements that are contributing both to ecosystem restoration and to the revitalisation of rural areas.
In the Iberian Highlands—an area that has faced decades of rural depopulation and economic decline—rewilding is transforming challenges into new opportunities, with milestones such as the following:
- Creation of 22 direct jobs by Rewilding Spain.
- Management of 25,000 hectares of pasture with large herbivores (Serrano horses, Pottokas and Przewalski’s horses, and Tauros cattle), with the aim of fostering healthy forest regeneration, enhancing biodiversity, and contributing to wildfire prevention.
- Reintroduction of 37 cinereous vultures in collaboration with Alto Tajo Natural Park and the Regional Ministry for Sustainable Development of Castilla-La Mancha.
- Launch of a pioneering international research project in El Recuenco (Guadalajara) on the potential of the European bison in restoring Mediterranean ecosystems.
- Groundbreaking agreements in Castilla-La Mancha for the conservation of old-growth forests in Vega del Codorno and Tragacete (Cuenca), combining conservation with biodiversity promotion, carbon storage, traditional uses, and income generation for forest owners.
- Support for more than 30 businesses through funding, training, technical assistance, and the creation of collaborative networks to promote ecotourism, environmental education, and nature-based entrepreneurship.
- Organisation of 21 training courses for both professionals and nature enthusiasts, with 320 participants in 2025.
- Delivery of the Rewilding Educa environmental education programme, reaching more than 750 children in 2025.
- Participation of 64 volunteers from 19 countries in the Volunteer Programme, helping to amplify the impact of our actions and becoming ambassadors for the region worldwide.
Nature for people
By fostering the recovery of wild nature, rewilding can help mitigate climate change and increase biodiversity, while also creating opportunities for people by contributing to the economic revitalisation of rural areas through new jobs and businesses, and by supporting the preservation of cultural heritage.
World Rewilding Day celebrates these opportunities as a source of hope for the future—one that is gaining support worldwide thanks to the efforts of organisations such as the Global Rewilding Alliance and Rewilding Europe, of whose networks Rewilding Spain Foundation is a member.
