Four in five adults in Britain support rewilding, according to new research.
An opinion poll commissioned by the charity Rewilding Britain shows that 81% of Britons support rewilding, with 40% strongly supportive and just 5% of people opposed.
Rewilding Britain defines rewilding as the large-scale restoration of nature to the point it can take care of itself – restoring habitats and natural processes, and where appropriate reintroducing missing species.
Leading pollsters YouGov asked 1,674 Britons: ‘To what extent do you support or oppose rewilding in Britain?’.
The poll, conducted last October, also found that 83% of the public support Britain’s national parks being made wilder, with areas set aside for rewilding. This huge level of support is significant as the UK Government has just announced a 12-week public consultation on how to ensure these national landscapes can do more for nature, climate and people.
Three-quarters (75%) of people back the idea of increasing the area of Britain that is rewilding to at least 5%, from less than 1% currently.
And 75% want politicians to do more to reverse the decline of nature. Britain has been ranked by the authoritative State of Nature report as one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, with over half of its species declining and many threatened with extinction.
Rebecca Wrigley, Chief Executive of Rewilding Britain, said: “This polling confirms rewilding is overwhelmingly popular with the British public – and that people want politicians to do much more to reverse the catastrophic decline of nature in our country.
“Rewilding offers a major solution to the nature and climate emergencies while benefitting people, including through new jobs and opportunities for rural and coastal communities, and healthier towns and cities. Rewilding is attracting astonishing levels of support because it’s about hope.”
Rewilding Britain is calling for major nature recovery across at least 30% of Britain’s land and sea by 2030, with 5% of this – some one million hectares – being core rewilding areas of native forest, peatland, grasslands, wetlands, rivers and coastal areas, and no loss of productive farmland.
Another 25% of the country should be regenerative, nature-positive areas that support a diverse range of land and marine uses, benefitting local economies while allowing nature to flourish.
There is growing evidence of rewilding’s social and economic benefits. An ongoing analysis by Rewilding Britain of 33 rewilding projects in England is demonstrating how rewilding can create new jobs. Between them, these sites have seen a 54% increase in full-time equivalent jobs since rewilding began. Jobs across the sites have risen from 173 to 267, and now include education, nature tourism, food and drink production, ecology and events.
Rewilding has become increasingly mainstream in the past couple of years, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson telling the Conservative Party Conference that he wants to “rewild parts of our country”. The Prime Minister has also pledged to protect 30% of Britain’s land and sea for nature.
This month the UK Government announced plans to provide funds for farmers in England to rewild and restore natural habitats on marginal and unproductive land through a new Environmental Land Management scheme.
Notes:
1. Rewilding Britain commissioned YouGov to carry out the polling. 1,674 adults across GB were polled over the period 13th-14th October 2021. View the full polling results.
2. All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1,674 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 13 – 14 October 2021. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).
What are the reasons for someone to be against this?
* so long as I am not affected, nor does my tax increase, nor does my ability to earn money go down.
​
Fixed it for ya. Everyone likes it cause most people live in cities and it sounds belter having a wild happy countryside. But there is a cost.
Imagine having US-style National Forests that actually cover significant areas. A quick look at Google maps shows just how dismal and anaemic our wooded areas are. Even the New Forest is depressingly small and artificial in appearance.
Rewilding can start at home by making it so you have a wild garden. I suspect that figure will go down if you suggest to people they stop mowing their garden and scrap the traditional roses, tulips and daffodils for seasonal flowers and plants currently seen as weeds.
I wonder what % of these people also complain about there not being enough houses. Cos you cant have both.
Four in five Britons, need released back into the Wild!
Wildlife is vital to our existence. It’s a great treatment for certain mental health issues too.
12 comments
Four in five adults in Britain support rewilding, according to new research.
An opinion poll commissioned by the charity Rewilding Britain shows that 81% of Britons support rewilding, with 40% strongly supportive and just 5% of people opposed.
Rewilding Britain defines rewilding as the large-scale restoration of nature to the point it can take care of itself – restoring habitats and natural processes, and where appropriate reintroducing missing species.
Leading pollsters YouGov asked 1,674 Britons: ‘To what extent do you support or oppose rewilding in Britain?’.
The poll, conducted last October, also found that 83% of the public support Britain’s national parks being made wilder, with areas set aside for rewilding. This huge level of support is significant as the UK Government has just announced a 12-week public consultation on how to ensure these national landscapes can do more for nature, climate and people.
Three-quarters (75%) of people back the idea of increasing the area of Britain that is rewilding to at least 5%, from less than 1% currently.
And 75% want politicians to do more to reverse the decline of nature. Britain has been ranked by the authoritative State of Nature report as one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, with over half of its species declining and many threatened with extinction.
Rebecca Wrigley, Chief Executive of Rewilding Britain, said: “This polling confirms rewilding is overwhelmingly popular with the British public – and that people want politicians to do much more to reverse the catastrophic decline of nature in our country.
“Rewilding offers a major solution to the nature and climate emergencies while benefitting people, including through new jobs and opportunities for rural and coastal communities, and healthier towns and cities. Rewilding is attracting astonishing levels of support because it’s about hope.”
Rewilding Britain is calling for major nature recovery across at least 30% of Britain’s land and sea by 2030, with 5% of this – some one million hectares – being core rewilding areas of native forest, peatland, grasslands, wetlands, rivers and coastal areas, and no loss of productive farmland.
Another 25% of the country should be regenerative, nature-positive areas that support a diverse range of land and marine uses, benefitting local economies while allowing nature to flourish.
There is growing evidence of rewilding’s social and economic benefits. An ongoing analysis by Rewilding Britain of 33 rewilding projects in England is demonstrating how rewilding can create new jobs. Between them, these sites have seen a 54% increase in full-time equivalent jobs since rewilding began. Jobs across the sites have risen from 173 to 267, and now include education, nature tourism, food and drink production, ecology and events.
Rewilding has become increasingly mainstream in the past couple of years, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson telling the Conservative Party Conference that he wants to “rewild parts of our country”. The Prime Minister has also pledged to protect 30% of Britain’s land and sea for nature.
This month the UK Government announced plans to provide funds for farmers in England to rewild and restore natural habitats on marginal and unproductive land through a new Environmental Land Management scheme.
Notes:
1. Rewilding Britain commissioned YouGov to carry out the polling. 1,674 adults across GB were polled over the period 13th-14th October 2021. View the full polling results.
2. All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1,674 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 13 – 14 October 2021. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).
What are the reasons for someone to be against this?
* so long as I am not affected, nor does my tax increase, nor does my ability to earn money go down.
​
Fixed it for ya. Everyone likes it cause most people live in cities and it sounds belter having a wild happy countryside. But there is a cost.
Imagine having US-style National Forests that actually cover significant areas. A quick look at Google maps shows just how dismal and anaemic our wooded areas are. Even the New Forest is depressingly small and artificial in appearance.
Add this here:
>[UK could grow up to 40% of its own fruit and vegetables by using urban green spaces](https://www.theguardian.com/food/2022/jan/24/uk-could-grow-up-fruit-and-vegetables-urban-green-spaces)
>
>If overlooked open spaces were used, dependence on overseas imports could be reduced, research finds
Rewilding can start at home by making it so you have a wild garden. I suspect that figure will go down if you suggest to people they stop mowing their garden and scrap the traditional roses, tulips and daffodils for seasonal flowers and plants currently seen as weeds.
I wonder what % of these people also complain about there not being enough houses. Cos you cant have both.
Four in five Britons, need released back into the Wild!
Wildlife is vital to our existence. It’s a great treatment for certain mental health issues too.
Imagine all those barren upland moors like this:
https://www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/__data/assets/image/0017/205235/moorland-header-image.jpg
being covered in forests. It’s what they used to be before they were clear cut for sheep grazing. They could be supporting a rich and diverse ecosystem.
Yeah but 1 in 5 Britons need to shoot animals so they can get erections so what are you going to do?
Decrease agricultural production in a country that already can’t feed itself, genius.