We are back on the road and visiting our first site in 2026!
This time Kilkenny, a county with a lot of intensive farming but also low deer numbers. This site has a beautiful natural wetland which is a reservoir of biodiversity with incredible native willows and swamp flora 🐸
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? 🐸
This is despite the fact that further up the hill the land is carpeted in dense conifer monoculture!
Our forestry policy is not designed to effectively expand forest cover.
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 🌼
Yes, Kilcormac Esker
Doesn't it look full of life?
Yes, excellent
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...
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.
Have you deer?
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
