Rewilding and restoring nature in a changing world
Benis N. Egoh, Charity Nyelele, Karen D. Holl, James M. Bullock, Steve Carver, Christopher J. Sandom
Abstract
Increased anthropogenic pressure, invasive alien species and climate change, among other factors, continue to negatively impact and degrade the planet's ecosystems and natural environment. As nature declines at alarming rates, the loss of biodiversity is not only a huge concern, but it also undermines the many ecological, social, human health and wellbeing benefits nature provides us. Numerous reports, including those from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES, https://www.ipbes.net/), have documented this unprecedented decline in nature across space and time. For example, the 2019 IPBES global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services shows that 75% of the global land surface has been significantly altered, 66% of the ocean area is experiencing increasing cumulative impacts, and over 85% of wetland area has been lost (Brondizio et al.