Rewilding The World by Caroline Fraser

Teddy Roosevelt, American president at the dawn of the 20th century, who is credited with starting the first national parks, an idea that has since spread round the world. Most of the early ones were chosen for their aesthetics (think of the crags and waterfalls of Yosemite), but as our understanding of ecology has grown, the realization that ecosystems are what needs to be preserved, not just what looks good on a postcard. With habitat destruction the major reason for extinction, this book proposes more sensible types of parks, those that allow animals to follow more natural patterns of behavior. Instead of isolated patches of wilderness, the idea is for groupings of parks or connected areas that follow migration paths or link breeding grounds. This is called “rewilding” after a quote from biologist Eric Dinnerstein, who described it as “…returning the land to the creatures that once flourished there.”
However, this practical idea becomes tangled up in politics, cultural ideas, corruption and lack of man power. It can even become thwarted by conservation groups themselves, when they don’t include the locals, which lead to resentment and increased poaching. The book details places where rewilding has worked, such as the Godwana Link in Australia, where native plants are returned to farms and protected lands, leading to the return of animals within a few years. There are also many instances where plans have not gotten farther than being written down, such as the Paseo Pantera (the Path of the Panther) in Central America. Most projects are in the halfway area, meaning there is something being done, but not always the right things and not always enough.
The book gives numerous examples of success and failures, which are often not in the places you’d think. Some of the successes are in situations of military standoffs, such as the DMZ between North and South Korea or the European Green Belt along the boundaries of countries formerly controlled by the Soviets. The failures are a combination of weak willed governments and organizations, often coupled with slim financial budgets. But ignorance, poor public relations and eroding stamina can sink a program, even when the funds are there.
It’s frustrating to think of what is being lost just because people can’t get their act together. Even the ones that have progressed beyond “paper parks” to having an actual plan often can’t get anywhere. I want to yell the slogan of the old Nike commercials “Just Do It!”
What most upset me, I think was the elephants. Because of their size, they can’t hide, unlike even the big cats, which can hide in mountains or jungles. We are only beginning to scratch the surface of understanding elephant communication, family structure and behavior and it’s possible that they may be wiped out before we learn much more. These are animals that are at least as intelligent as humans, perhaps more so. Their habitat is being fenced and destroyed by petty conflicts and people with a lack of vision.
The author, who rescues and relocates prairie dogs in the southwest United States, presents an amazing amount of information in a readable style, it never degenerates into just facts and figures. She also maintains a neutral voice, even when describing events that would anger anyone interested in wildlife. I certainly wouldn’t have been able to do that. The table of contents has the old-fashioned device of listing the main topics in each chapter. There are small maps of many of the areas discussed, which are handy.
This book sends the reader on a roller coaster of emotions, alternating between the potential of humans to restore and conserve, to feeling hopeless that humans are too stupid and destructive to care about anything. Many of the projects would be simple to carry out, it’s often nothing but attitudes that prevent it. Meanwhile, the planet is losing some of the most magnificent animals and turning into a crust of cement.

Metropolitan Books 2009 400 pp. ISBN 978-0-8050-7826-8

Jackie paints many endangered animals to show people what they’re losing. To see some of her artwork, please go here .

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