By: Leslie Gunnett, Advisory Board Member
One of the less obvious benefits of rewilding is drought resistance. I recently scrolled past a headline about rewilding areas in the UK resisting drought, so I had to dive down the rabbit hole and learn more about it. The UK and Ireland have been in drought conditions since June, and flooding and wildfires have been a concern all summer. These typically very green places have been turning brown, which has been sad to witness. However, rewilded areas are remaining green!
Holnicote Estate is a 12,000-acre site in England that is owned and managed by the National Trust, a conservation charity in the UK. The Landscape Recovery Project was created to develop broader river corridors to reconnect the landscapes on this site by working with natural processes. The National Trust partnered with local farmers and tenants in a 20-year agreement to manage the land and redevelop its “wildness”.
Over time, the rivers were returned to their natural courses and wetlands were restored. Keystone species were reintroduced and their habitats monitored. Now, in the drought we’ve been experiencing this summer, this area has remained green and lush, surrounded by brown, dry countryside. By reconnecting the rivers and restoring wetlands, the landscape acts as a natural sponge, storing water during drought and helping to protect surrounding areas from flooding during extreme rainfall.
The droughts this summer have put the future into perspective in the UK and Ireland. We are now very aware of the dangers of drought conditions in these places that are used to much more consistent rainfall. This estate in England is a success story, and a great proof-of-concept for the rest of the world to follow. Rewilding an area can help with drought conditions all over the world, which is why this is such an important story to share. No one is immune to new and extreme weather conditions as our planet warms up, and rewilding is an important consideration for climate mitigation plans everywhere.
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