REWILDING
BBC Focus - Science & Technology|New Year 2021
CAN IT SAVE OUR WILDLIFE AND TEMPER CLIMATE CHANGE?
JOCELYN TIMPERLEY
REWILDING

We’ve pushed nature to the brink, but it may be capable of repairing the damage, provided we step aside and let it go back to doing what it does best

Dotted through the Scottish Highlands there remain fragments of Caledonian pine woodland whose origins can be traced back to the temperate rainforest that covered much of the country after the last ice age. Often surrounded by Scots pine plantations and land overgrazed by deer, they’re a last refuge for many threatened species.

Abernethy National Nature Reserve includes one of the largest remnants of this ancient woodland. Decades of work by RSPB Scotland and others is restoring and expanding it.

The project, which now has a 200-year plan, is based on carefully encouraging natural processes to flourish, making it perhaps Britain’s most successful example of the ‘rewilding’ concept so far. “With the [ancient] pine wood expanding, that’s allowing other species to expand their range and spread as well,” says Tors Hamilton from Cairngorms Connect, a large-scale ‘habitat restoration’ partnership between Abernethy and neighbouring land managers. “There’s been a lot of work and research going on – and it’s still continuing today – looking at how we enable those natural processes to expand and continue.”

With this focus on restoring natural processes, such as allowing trees to seed and spread themselves, the Abernethy reserve encompasses many of the aims of the rewilding movement. At the same time, Abernethy’s hesitancy to call itself a rewilding project gives an inkling of the underlying tensions that often surround this approach to regenerating wilderness.

Bu hikaye BBC Focus - Science & Technology dergisinin New Year 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye BBC Focus - Science & Technology dergisinin New Year 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

BBC FOCUS - SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
WHEN'S THE BEST TIME FOR A CAFFEINE HIT?
BBC Science Focus

WHEN'S THE BEST TIME FOR A CAFFEINE HIT?

Wakey-wakey! Find the sweet spot for a coffee shot and science says the benefits are grande

time-read
3 dak  |
October 2024
DEAD MAN’S FINGERS
BBC Science Focus

DEAD MAN’S FINGERS

Picture the scene. It's Halloween and you've gone for an ill-advised stroll through the graveyard on the edge of town.

time-read
2 dak  |
October 2024
What tipping point are climate scientists most worried about?
BBC Science Focus

What tipping point are climate scientists most worried about?

Collapsing ice sheets, loss of the Amazon rainforest, melting permafrost.……. Key parts of Earth's climate system are in trouble. Which could trigger disaster first?

time-read
5 dak  |
October 2024
PROFESSOR BRIAN COX
BBC Science Focus

PROFESSOR BRIAN COX

The biggest space missions yet are making their way to new parts of the Universe. In his new BBC Two series Solar System, Prof Brian Cox reveals what these explorations are discovering about life in our galactic neighbourhood. Noa Leach sat down with him to talk about the most exciting new missions, life in the Universe and his top behind-the-scenes moments of filming

time-read
10+ dak  |
October 2024
KEEP YOUR HAIR ON
BBC Science Focus

KEEP YOUR HAIR ON

MORE THAN HALF OF MEN AND MILLIONS OF WOMEN ARE AFFECTED BY HAIR LOSS. IT CAUSES LOW SELF-ESTEEM IN SOME AND ANXIETY IN OTHERS. THANKFULLY, SCIENTISTS AROUND THE WORLD ARE GETTING TO THE ROOTS OF THE PROBLEM WITH PIONEERING NEW TREATMENTS

time-read
10 dak  |
October 2024
DAMAGE ASSESSMENT
BBC Science Focus

DAMAGE ASSESSMENT

Could we deflect an asteroid to stop it from hitting Earth? The success of NASA's DART mission suggests so, but only after ESA's soon-to-launch Hera mission has checked the results will we know if this approach to planetary defence is a viable possibility

time-read
9 dak  |
October 2024
SAVE THE SHARKS...SAVE THE OCEANS
BBC Science Focus

SAVE THE SHARKS...SAVE THE OCEANS

RUTHLESS PREDATORS, MINDLESS KILLERS, MAN-EATERS... SHARKS HAVE A FEARSOME REPUTATION THAT BEARS LITTLE RELATION TO REALITY. THE TRUTH IS, THESE REMARKABLE CREATURES ARE STRUGGLING TO SURVIVE. BUT OUR WATERS WON'T BE ANY SAFER WITHOUT THEM. IN FACT, THE PLANET'S SEAS WILL BE IN EVEN GREATER JEOPARDY THAN THEY ALREADY ARE

time-read
7 dak  |
October 2024
COULD ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE BE THE CURE FOR LONELINESS?
BBC Science Focus

COULD ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE BE THE CURE FOR LONELINESS?

Rates of loneliness are increasing worldwide. But big-tech companies think they have the solution...

time-read
4 dak  |
October 2024
Olive mill wastewater: a health-boosting tonic hiding in the leftovers
BBC Science Focus

Olive mill wastewater: a health-boosting tonic hiding in the leftovers

A by-product of the olive oil production process is packed with compounds that lower your cholesterol and reduce your risk of developing cancer.

time-read
5 dak  |
October 2024
Lab-grown meat may be better for livestock, but not necessarily for the environment
BBC Science Focus

Lab-grown meat may be better for livestock, but not necessarily for the environment

The move to put alternative protein on our plates is gathering pace but there are still questions to answer

time-read
3 dak  |
October 2024