Skip to content

Conservation Efforts Put on Hold

A Eurasian otter at Wildwood. Thetters’ habitat shrunk in the second half of the century due to pesticide use, but have made a comeback in recent years and can now be found across the United Kingdom.
A Eurasian otter at Wildwood. Thetters’ habitat shrunk in the second half of the century due to pesticide use, but have made a comeback in recent years and can now be found across the United Kingdom. Photo: Dan Kitwood (Getty Images)

Wildwood isn’t just a place where people can come for a visit with a dormouse (as adorable as that is). The charity, dubbed a center for excellence in conservation research in 1999, also does conservation work on endangered species native to Britain, like the red squirrel. That work, too, was halted by the pandemic. The Trust said that many animal reintroductions originally planned for 2020 have been put on hold.

Rewilding has taken on increasing importance not just in the UK but around the world as conservationists and policymakers look to restore the balance of ecosystems disturbed by human activities and climate change. Last year, for example, conservationists reintroduced Tasmanian devils to the Australian mainland in an effort to help ecosystems there as well as the devils, which have been ravaged by a deadly transmissible cancer in Tasmania. Protecting nature could also help us avoid future pandemics and the spread of zoonotic diseases.

Related Articles