A highlight for me this year was the launch of @rewildyourland.bsky.social and I met dozens of people across Ireland who are already enjoying the thrill of rewilding. There are more plans in the pipeline so here's hoping that 2026 will see rewilding go from strength to strength in Ireland!

Rewilding in West Clare! Even small patches of rewilded land can make a difference in providing refuges for plants and animals as well as linking together networks of habitats. Ponds are great for wildlife but with a rewilding approach we ask: does the land want to be a pond? 🐸

Rewilding in Wicklow? This land, overgazed and with dense rushes, is perfect for native forest but the landowner has been deemed ineligible for grants because it is too elevated 🤔

Rewilding in Laois! So much of the land in Ireland wants to be wet alder/willow forest, especially in the basin of the River Shannon. At least this patch of land is well on its way!

Rewilding in Wicklow! A little support from authorities for the eradication of non-native trees and plants would go a long way to encourage private landowners to resuscitate important old forests like this one 🌳

Rewilding in Kerry! So many places like this are ready to burst into life if only grazing and invasive plants were controlled

Rewilding in Wicklow! Will's field will become an oasis for native plants and wildlife in a low biodiversity landscape. Well done Will 👏

Rewilding in Dublin! There is very little native woodland in Dublin so it was great to visit landowners with mature trees and a keen interest in rewilding. Unfortunately the evidence of overgrazing was all too present but we are hopeful that this can be addressed 🌳

Rewild! was featured this week in the Irish Independent newspaper ⤵️ Climate Changemakers: The rewilding advocate who helps landowners to restore nature www.independent.ie/life/climate...

Rewilding in Wicklow! Maria has a substantial land holding that she wants to rewild but high deer numbers are preventing any natural regeneration of trees

Rewilding is not all about trees and forests! Many rewilding sites explode with flower abundance and diversity after the removal of livestock 🌼

Rewilding in Offaly! What do you advise a landowner with beautiful native woodland and where deer or other grazers are not a problem? 🤩

A small milestone for Rewild! as we pass the first 100 hectares pledged for rewilding in Ireland!

What happens when a conifer planation is clear-felled and nature is just let to itself? www.scotlandbigpicture.com/rewilding-st...

Thanks to Jack Morley for this shout out for our work 🙏 jrnl.ie/6758679

Rewilding Dingle! This is Slea Head, the western most point of the Dingle Peninsula in Kerry. So far, this is the most westerly rewilding project in our network!

Such a great pleasure to see Pádraic @whittledaway.bsky.social in action advising some of the increasing numbers of people who want to rewild their land, in this instance near Kenmare. There's *nothing* better you can do for nature.

Rewilding in Kerry! Ed and Francis have beautiful Atlantic rainforest on their land which they want protected. Delighted to be joined today by @irishrainforest.bsky.social

"Real rewilding is about more than simply "putting animals back" and "letting nature take its course". It is about putting systems back: predators, prey, plants and the processes that connect them" www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2...

Many people wonder what rewilding means... or even if it means anything at all! But the principles are critically important in addressing the biodiversity crisis and are laid out well here by Rewilding Europe. See rewildingeurope.com

More rewilding in Wexford! Or is it rewilding? This landowner is grazing a horse on a pasture in a way that is allowing scrub expansion with quite a lot of floral diversity.

Rewilding in Wexford! What will this field look like in 5 or 10 years time without any grazing animals?

Feel the power. And let it transport you to another time, when Ireland was mostly a wild rainforest, with lynx, boar, wolves, bears... Then imagine bringing just a little of that back. We can do it. #Rewilding

Rewilding in Galway! This field is not being deliberately rewilded. Rather, the farming has ceased and the neighbouring forest is moving in. Abandonment may, or may not, be good for nature. Much better would be if the landowner were getting a payment to ensure that the outcome is good.

Pádraic Fogarty (@whittledaway.bsky.social)'s rewilding consultancy is SO badly needed and positive for Irish nature. I honestly feel it'll be a real game-changer. 🌍

Rewilding in Mayo! Jonathan has spent 30 years rewilding what was a barren grazing pasture - now a rich combination of native forest and recovering bog...

I'll be in the Museum of Literature (posh!) this evening at 6:30 talking about rewilding. Entry is free.

Looks can be deceiving Nearly all the trees in this beautiful forest are non-native sycamores. Many forests in Ireland, even outside of plantations, are dominated by non-native species and so their biodiversity is limited.

Rewilding in Longford!

Rewilding needs top carnivores. Check out this excerpt from @jonnyhhanson.bsky.social book on how people can learn to live alongside bears, wolves and lynx www.rewildingmag.com/how-wildlife...

What happens when a hedgerow goes unmanaged? If there are no grazing animals it bursts into the fields... ultimately becoming native forest! #rewilding

Do you feel deep anger, impotence, despair, at what is being done to the natural world on which we all depend? Support rewilding, in whatever way you can. 🌍

Rewilding in Leitrim! This was a field of grass only 20 years ago, now a thriving native forest

The return of the crane is probably Ireland's greatest rewilding success story so far www.irishtimes.com/science/2025...

To rewild or not to rewild? that is the question This field has higher plant diversity than most, including yellow rattle, cuckoo flower and (in the foreground), ragged robin. Ending grazing could be bad for these species. Then again...

I'm writing in the latest issue of the excellent 'Woodland' magazine from the @irishwoodlandtrust.bsky.social about rewilding

Come along Friday if you're in Leitrim and are interested in rewilding!

I will be in Leitrim this Friday talking about rewilding as part of events for biodiversity week. Register here 👇 biodiversityweek.ie/events/rewil...

Pádraic Fogarty @whittledaway.bsky.social has launched "Rewild Your Land," @rewildyourland.bsky.social a service helping Irish landowners who want to rewild their properties, creating a supportive network for those who feel like "oddballs" in a country dominated by intensive farming. 🌍🦤 1/8

Fantastic turn out for my talk on rewilding in Cork last night. There's a strong appetite to see landowners and farmers supported for large-scale rewilding in Ireland!

This Thursday evening! #rewilding

Rewilding in Westmeath! Many landowners now want to turn forests from non-native monoculture (left) into diverse native (right). Attitudes are shifting, but is public policy shifting with them?

More research that shows that "Biodiversity is usually favoured by ecological restoration, especially through natural regeneration" of forests. Yet, policies in Ireland remain overwhelmingly based on planting trees. www.nature.com/articles/s44...

Rewilding in Dublin! The density of deer is a challenge to rewilding in South Dublin but there are still pockets of land with native trees, streams and valuable scrub habitat.

"rewilding is not about restoring a painting that needs curation, but about restoring a system that can look after itself... And for that reason, it is a very smart solution" revolve.media/opinions/a-g...

Will be talking in Galway this Friday about the work of Rewild! and the potential for rewilding in Ireland

New research shows that wolf numbers in Europe are "estimated at over 21,500 individuals by 2022, representing a 58% increase over the past decade" Despite on-going threats, this remains a phenomenal rewilding success story journals.plos.org/sustainabili...

There's a great series of events, many online, being run by Rewilding Europe across the continent to mark World Rewilding Day next Thursday, March 20th rewildingeurope.com/world-rewild...

Next Thursday is World Rewilding Day! I'll be giving a talk with Green Sod about the work of Rewild! and what my hopes are for it. Tune in! 👇 www.eventbrite.com/e/rewilding-...