User:~SnowyOwl17~/Rewilding

A key feature of rewilding is its focus on replacing human interventions with natural processes. '''Rewilding enables the return of intact large mammal assemblages. This implies the natural groupings of large mammal species in an area to promote the restoration of trophic networks. The mechanism of rewilding is a process of rebuilding, to restore natural ecosystems by introducing or re-introducing large mammals to promote resilient, self-regulating, and self-sustaining ecosystems. (2 reference added)'''

The aim is to create resilient, self-regulating and self-sustaining ecosystems. A key feature of rewilding is it's focus on replacing human interventions with natural processes. Rewilding projects are usually part of programs for habitat restoration and conservation biology, and ideally they should be based on sound ecological theory and evidence. (reference added)

Rewilding is a form of ecological restoration aimed at increasing biodiversity and restoring natural processes. It differs from other forms of ecological restoration in that rewilding aspires to reduce human influence on ecosystems. It is also distinct from other forms of restoration in that, while it places emphasis on recovering geographically specific sets of ecological interactions and functions that would have maintained ecosystems prior to human influence.[1] Rewilding is open to novel or emerging ecosystems which encompass new species and new interactions. (reference added)

Origin
The term rewilding was coined by members of the grassroots network Earth First!, first appearing in print in 1990. It was refined and grounded in a scientific context in a paper published in 1998 by conservation biologists Michael Soulé and Reed Noss. Soulé and Noss envisaged rewilding as a conservation method based on the concept of 'cores, corridors, and carnivores'. '''Rewilding originated in the 1980s, referring to the to the 3Cs: cores, corridors and carnivores. The key components of rewilding incorporate large core protected areas, keystone species, and ecological connectivity based''' on the theory that large predators play regulatory roles in ecosystems. (reference added) 3Cs rewilding therefore relied on protecting 'core' areas of wild land, linked together by 'corridors' allowing passage for 'carnivores' to move around the landscape and perform their functional role'''. (reference added)''' The concept was developed further in 1999 and Earth First co-founder, Dave Foreman, subsequently wrote a full-length book on rewilding as a conservation strategy.

Rewilding and climate change
Large mammals can influence ecosystems by altering biogeochemical pathways as they contribute to unique ecological roles, they are landscape engineers that aid in shaping the structure and composition of natural habitats. (2 references added) Rewilding can mitigate global climate change by restoring ecosystems. An example of this would be rewilding pasture land, thereby reducing the number of cows and sheep and increasing the number of trees.

The long-term shifts in weather pattern and temperature reflect a range of changes from threatening biodiversity to ecosystem functioning. (reference added) '''Large herbivores and carnivores contribute to key processes to influence climate change meditation and adaptation across terrestrial ecosystems. Rewilding enhances ecosystem functioning and services by long term maintenance of carbon stocks. (reference added) The most beneficial effects on biogeochemical cycling and ecosystem structure are reported through rewilding large herbivore species.           (2 references added)'''

Trophic rewilding can enhance the carbon capture and storage of ecosystems and has been posited as a "natural climate solution". The functional roles animals perform in an ecosystem, such as grazing, nutrient cycling and seed distribution, can influence the amount of carbon soils and plants capture in both marine and terrestrial environments. The carbon cycle is altered through herbivores consuming vegetation and assimilating carbon within their own biomass, releasing additional carbon by respiration and defecation after digestion. (2 references added)

A study in a tropical forest in Guyana found that an increase in mammal species from 5 to 35 increased tree and soil carbon storage by four to five times, compared to an increase of 3.5 to four times with an increase of tree species from 10 to 70.

Rewilding and Albedo
'''Large mammals can also mitigate climate change through increased albedo effects, the ability to reflect heat from the sunlight. Large herbivores reduce woody cover through browsing and trampling, exposing more ground surface. Initiating a strong net surface cooling effect during spring and autumn seasons by reducing local surface temperatures. Therefore, large-bodied mammals contribute to the Earth's overall atmospheric albedo. (reference added)'''