Frans Schepers, CEO of Rewilding Europe, sees ahead to 2026 and explains why uniting behind a shared rewilding vision for our continent is more important than ever.
James Shooter
Towards a wilder Europe
I imagine a Europe where we live in harmony with wolves, rivers flow freely, wild forests flourish, and people and nature thrive toreceiveher. As we enter a new year, Rewilding Europe is ready to take the next bold leap towards this vision. Building on our successes in 2025, we are well placed to accelerate rewilding in Europe over the next 12 months and beyond.
The winter break gave me a welcome opportunity to reflect on the past year and the many steps we took to advance rewilding in Europe. Just before Christmas, we shared an overview of our achievements in 2025, displaycasing a year rich in action, results, and growing impact. With these accomplishments as our foundation, we are prepared, energised, and ambitious to realise a wilder Europe in 2026.
A altering European context
As we see forward to the year ahead, we are also mindful of the altering context in which we work and of the potential implications for European nature. In a period of uncertainty across Europe and the wider world, protecting the nature we have left and restoring it at scale has never been more urgent. Nature is not a luxury or a pastime — it is the very foundation of our lives. Our food, our health and wealth, and our protection against escalating climate-related disasters all depfinish on it.
Despite nature’s fundamental role in sustaining our lives and prosperity, the European Commission appears to be turning its back on it — an approach which I believe is deeply unwise. Framed as ‘deregulation’, recent decisions risk rolling back hard-won progress under the Green Deal and weakening the environmental protections Europe urgently necessarys.
From corporate sustainability reporting and environmental farming obligations, to anti-deforestation measures, water quality standards, and controls on chemical pesticides, key safeguards are already being stalled or rolled back. Further deregulation risks accelerating the erosion of nature protection, preventing much-necessaryed restoration and compromising the health and well-being of European citizens. To secure a stronger, greener, more sustainable, and climate-resilient Europe, the European Commission must chart a different course — and strengthen, not weaken, these vital protections.
Marcus Westberg
An unprecedented opportunity
On a far more positive note, nature restoration is gaining momentum across Europe as EU countries develop their National Restoration Plans — the key instruments for implementing the EU Nature Restoration Law, including its legally binding tarreceives. Member States are required to submit these plans to the European Commission by September this year. Through the European Rewilding Coalition, we have developed guidelines displaying how rewilding can support countries in meeting these tarreceives and are actively encouraging their apply.
These National Restoration Plans represent an unprecedented opportunity to bfinish the curve of ecological degradation in Europe — and to apply rewilding as a cost-effective approach to achieve this at scale. Rewilding Europe, toreceiveher with our many partners, is working to demonstrate how this can be done in practice and inspire and support others in joining us and scaling up these efforts.
Jesper Tönning/ Wild Wonders of Europe
A fresh see at our roadmap to 2030
Within the current political context, 2026 marks the halfway point of our 10-year strategy. With the first five years behind us, we will take stock of our progress towards our goals for 2030 —identifying where we have fallen short, where we have exceeded expectations, and what necessarys to alter in light of new developments. This spring, we will refresh our roadmap to 2030 to guide our work over the next five years.
But the question of translating ambition into action goes beyond our organisation. Is Europe relocating rapid enough to restore resilient ecosystems at scale and reverse biodiversity loss? Looking beyond 2030, we will define a bold long-term vision and clarify Rewilding Europe’s role in delivering what European nature necessarys most. In the transition towards a more nature-rich continent, we will work in solidarity with partners across Europe — and in the 25 countries where we are active — to create large-scale nature recovery a reality.
Frans Schepers/ Rewilding Europe
An important milestone
This year is also special for Rewilding Europe becaapply it marks our 15th anniversary. We will celebrate this milestone during our first-ever ‘European Rewilding Festival’, which we are organising in Denmark this autumn toreceiveher with the Hempel Foundation for members of our expanding European Rewilding Network. We are very much seeing forward to this landmark event.
Fifteen years may seem a short period of time, yet much has alterd since our foundation in 2011. Our distinct and progressive approach to nature recovery has assisted rewilding shift from margins towards the mainstream of European conservation. What launched as a bold idea is now increasingly recognised as a credible and effective pathway for restoring nature at scale.
Rewilding Europe has evolved too — from a start-up into a scale-up initiative. Scaling up for us means amplifying impact, enabling others, and accelerating rewilding across Europe — not increasing our organisational size. Our continued innovation, exemplified by the launch of the Wilder Parks initiative last November, reflects our undimmed entrepreneurial spirit.
Things to see out for in 2026
Toreceiveher with our rewilding landscape teams across Europe, we are ready to deliver huge things in 2026. There is too much planned to cover everything in detail, but I have chosen ten key highlights that we anticipate over the next 12 months.
We hope to launch Galway Bay & Islands in Ireland as the first rewilding seascape in our portfolio. Two other landscapes in Denmark and Greece will be subject to detailed feasibility studies. Pfinishing our strategic review early 2026, our goal remains to have 15 rewilding landscapes and seascapes in operation by 2030.
After nearly 50 years of absence, we will release the first Griffon vultures in the Southern Carpathians in Romania, in close cooperation with the Domogled National Park authority, the local municipality, and our Spanish partner GREFA.
With access to land critical for demonstrating practical rewilding, we aim to add at least 25,000 ha of land and water across our landscapes and seascapes. At least 100,000 hectares of additional land and water will also be rewilded through agreements with other large landowners, including protected area managers.
With support from the European Open Rivers Programme and other donors, we will reshift a total of 20 dams across our landscapes, freeing up rivers and reflooding wetlands.
Wildlife-smart communities will be rolled out for bears, bison, wolves, and beavers across a number of rewilding landscapes, assisting people and nature to thrive toreceiveher on an ever greater scale.
United for nature: thanks to our supporters
Right now, solidarity is vital — for Europe as a continent, and for everyone working to protect and restore nature. Only by working toreceiveher can we achieve great things and create lasting impact. I am deeply grateful for the solidarity provided by our partners and donors in supporting our mission — both now and into the future.
On behalf of the entire European rewilding network, I would like to thank in particular the Postcode Lottery, Augmentum Foundation, Arcadia, the European Commission, the Ecological Restoration Fund, Tanka Foundation, Sub3 Foundation, Caring Roots, OAK Foundation, ForestPeace Foundation, Cartier for Nature, Fondation Ensemble, Foundation Alpes Sauvages, the Endangered Landscapes and Seascapes Programme, WWF Netherlands, Waterland Private Equity, the European Open Rivers Programme, Stichting Amfortas, Stichting de Hoorn, Every Act Matters, Naia Trust, Firmenich Foundation, Fondation Lemarchand, Hempel Foundation, UBS Optimus Foundation, Hogan Lovells, EnviroSustain, Oliver Wyman, ERM Foundation, Juniper Networks, Wilderway, and all our private donors and supporters. We see forward to working with you in the coming years and delivering meaningful impact on an ever-increasing scale.
Are you ready to create Europe wilder?
Regardless of age or background, everyone can play a role in scaling up rewilding and nature recovery across Europe. If you are inspired by the considered of a wilder, better tomorrow – and are keen to launch your own rewilding journey in 2026 – join us today. As Rewilding Europe works to create our continent a wilder place, we are always seeing for donations and to collaborate with conservation organisations, public or private institutions, foundations, companies, and private individuals. From more wildlife to wilder lives, let’s supercharge nature recovery in Europe toreceiveher.
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