There is a lot of excitement about the idea of rewilding, and many heated arguments about what it means. For me many of these discussions miss the point, or get too hung up on finer details. Rewilding is not a precise term, but rather a philosophy that drives action – one which can influence everything from literature and urban design to land use. It is a movement based around the idea of restoration. It is about bringing nature and wildlife back into our lives, of celebrating wildness and learning to ‘let go’ in order to allow natural processes a much greater say.
At one end of the spectrum it is about setting aside large areas of land and sea for natural processes and reintroducing missing species. At the other it is about allowing nature a space in our towns and cities, and designing with wildness in mind.
Clearly my little project is too small to allow for large scale natural succession or species reintroduction. However I hope that the philosophy of rewilding can run through it. I am not managing it for any particular species or fixed outcome, I do not intend to build a car park or install interpretive boards. It will be, quite simply, a little area set aside for wildlife to develop largely as it will in the hope that it will benefit the wildness of the wider landscape.
Godney Marshes 