Rewilding in the Media #23

Editors’ note: In this periodic summary, we list some of the latest research and rewilding projects, ideas, and notable stories in the media about protecting and restoring wild Nature that the TRI board and staff discover and discuss. These are some highlights from the first quarter of 2025. We urge sharing links to the ones you find most inspiring, and we invite you to send us links to important rewilding stories we may have missed.

1. Biological Conservation, Alliances between conservation and animal activism [Jan. 11, 2025]

“Conservation is in no danger of being too effective. One means of enhancing effectiveness is via alliances, such as between conservationists and animal activists and others who have similar or common goals. By acting jointly to further campaigns to pass legislation such as an Endangered Ecosystem Act, shutting down factory farms, strengthening what recovery means in the U.S. Endangered Species Act, protecting ecological function and interaction—and changing the broader political culture to uncompromisingly value animals the decline in various aspects biodiversity can be halted and reversed. Pressure can be more effectively brought on the right decision makers. Enhanced coordinated action will improve human results toward the natural world.”

2. The Guardian, Scouts embrace rewilding to connect UK teenagers with nature [Jan. 15, 2025]

“A £150,000 initiative to tackle the “teenage dip” in nature connectedness will involve the Scout Association introducing rewilding to its adventure centres across the UK. The funding, announced on Wednesday by the environmental charity Rewilding Britain, will support 11 projects aimed at putting young people at the heart of nature restoration. Several focus explicitly on reversing the sharp decline in young people’s engagement with the natural world during adolescence.”

3. High Country News, Why the West needs prairie dogs [Jan. 1, 2025]

“Prairie dogs are among the most maligned and persecuted animal species in the Western U.S. […] but some tribes, researchers, and landowners are racing to save them.”

4. Tucson Sentinel, Grijalva left a mark and lessons for a new generation to live by [March 13, 2025]

“Grijalva’s legacy spans decades and includes desegregation programs at TUSD, the Pima County Sonoran Desert Protection Plan, and let’s not forget the Affordable Care Act, which he proved a major player in passing. […] The Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan […] was considered a landmark achievement in its day because it used science to determine the best habitat,  and steer growth away from those places while providing Endangered Species Act protections to both listed critters and affected land owners.”

5. Reasons to be Cheerful, Former Golf Courses Are Going Wild [March 18, 2025]

“Across the U.S. and beyond, fairways are becoming wildflower meadows — and communities are reaping the benefits.”

6. MLive, Cougar cubs spotted in Michigan for first time in over a century [March 14, 2025]

“Michigan wildlife biologists confirmed a pair of endangered cougar cubs were spotted and photographed last week in the far reaches of the western Upper Peninsula. Scientists confirmed on Wednesday that a pair of wild cat cubs spotted on March 6 by a couple of Yooper motorists in Ontonagon County were cougars, approximately 7 to 9 weeks old. Officials said this is the first time cougar cubs have been verified in the state since the big cats were hunted out of existence in Michigan in the early 1900s.”

7. PBS, Los Angeles Mountain Lions Inspire the World’s Largest Wildlife Crossing Bridge | Future of Nature [April 12, 2025]

“Human development is having a devastating impact on the puma population of LA, but conservationist Beth Pratt is campaigning to give them a brighter future. The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing at Liberty Canyon was conceived in order to prevent the local mountain lion population from extinction.” Watch the video.

8. IGN, Flow – Official Trailer (2024)

“I watched the Oscar-winning “Best Feature Length Animated Film” FLOW last night.  It was just beautiful. The star is a house cat, but its supporting cast is a dog, capybara, ring-tailed cat, and a caracara.” —Jason Kahn, TRI President

9. National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance has a monthly Wildernews newsletter that shares stories about threats to our nation’s public lands, and also empowering stories about people across the nation turning out and speaking up for public lands and the essential federal workers who care for them. You can sign up for their newsletter here.

10. AZCentral, Where the border wall ends, wildlife survives. Advocates fear losses if the gaps close [April 20, 2025]

Key Points:

• “Rugged mountain ranges in southeastern Arizona halted the march of a steel border wall during the first Trump presidency. Wildlife advocates say it shows the importance of animal travel routes.
• Jaguars, ocelots, and black bears traverse the wildlands in southern Arizona and northern Mexico, but the area also harbors rare fish that could be lost if waterways are blocked, advocates argue.
• The second Trump administration has promised to resume work on the border wall, but some conservation groups doubt its effectiveness.”

11. DicoverWildScience, 7 Zoos That Are Rewilding Animals and Restoring Habitats [April 21, 2025]

“Imagine a world where the cages swing open and animals return to the wild, where concrete enclosures give way to endless forests and sprawling savannas. It sounds almost like a dream, yet it’s happening right now in some of the most innovative zoos across the globe. These zoos aren’t just sanctuaries—they’re lifelines, rewriting the future for endangered creatures and the habitats they call home. With determination, vision, and science on their side, they’re turning back the clock on extinction and showing us that hope for our planet is alive and well.”

12. The Climate Tribe, When the Wolves Returned Home [April 29, 2025]

Rewilding is reaching new audiences in this engaging article featuring The Rewilding Institute’s own Dave Parsons!

“As our planet’s wild places disappear, Dave Parsons believes the solution lies in making the world wilder, not tamer. Through The Rewilding Institute, he’s proving that conservation’s future may depend on its fiercest predators.”