WHY DOES REWILDING MATTER?
We know that cutting carbon is a huge part of our obligation to live more sustainably, but carbon reduction is only half the battle.
“Someone who grows a garden to help nature is personally doing the important work of improving the world. Never underestimate the power of such a seemingly simple act”
Ana & Emily from Seedball.co.uk
Rewilding our natural world is one of the most important ways that we can help preserve this planet for future generations. Not only does it help to remove carbon from the atmosphere, but it also allows all-important species of plant and animal life to recover and regenerate.
As tourists and tour operators, we choose our destinations partly due to the natural beauty that they offer – so it makes sense that caring for biodiversity and sustainable tourism should go hand in hand!
Supporting Carefully planned reforestation and rewilding helps to create much needed habitats and food for key species, which in turn can create an array of positive changes in the environment. When important species return to a previously depleted habitat, so do many other animals in their food chain, helping the habitat to rebalance itself. It can also help re-introduce migration patterns and aid pollination so that plant and animal life can reach other areas which had previously been cut off.
Forests and other types of rewilding projects such as mangroves and kelp beds also act as a sink for carbon emissions. Rewilding helps us to naturally re-capture carbon which is released into the atmosphere through our day to day activities (of which travel is one) – while simultaneously encouraging the recovery of the wider environment.
Sustainable tourism companies are increasingly looking to support rewilding schemes. It’s certainly not the only step we need to take, but it does play an important role. Through support for rewilding projects, travel companies can help preserve and regenerate the biodiversity that not only attracts conscious visitors, but also helps to compensate for the impact they may have.
If you’d like to get involved with large-scale reforestation and rewilding yourself, there are loads of schemes to get involved with. Check out Mossy Earth’s article on how to pick a good one!
But big projects aren’t the only way to help.
Let’s look closer to home – chances are you’ve spent a lot of your time there in the last year! Gardens account for a huge chunk of our green space in the UK, and so rewilding what you’ve got in your back yard (however small!) can be a way to extend a lifeline to struggling species.
Too much concrete and paved space and not enough greenery causes problems for insects and plants. The less greenery there is, the harder it is for pollinators like bees to find habitats and food, which in turn means fewer pollinators at work, and less greenery.
Even just adding in a few tubs of wildflowers or bee-friendly species to your back-garden or balcony can create vital space for biodiversity to return!
Fancy creating your own mini-wilderness while travel is more difficult? We are excited to be working with Seedball.co.uk to offer our subscribers 20% off on all their products! If you’d like to make the most of that, simply sign up for our offers and get planting!
