Ecosystems Restored

Re:wild has a long history of working with local and international partners, Indigenous peoples and local communities on successful reintroductions and translocations of threatened species, from Tasmanian Devils to Cuban Crocodiles.

Importantly, this includes always upholding Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), which is a right that the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples established and that aligns with Indigenous peoples’ universal right to self-determination.

Re:wild partnered with Aussie Ark and WildArk to return the Tasmanian Devil to mainland Australia, where it had vanished 3,000 years ago. As native apex predators, the Tasmanian Devil helps control feral cats and foxes that threaten other threatened and native species.

Because they are scavengers, the devils help keep their home clean and free of disease. They are one of seven cornerstone species – critical to Australia’s ecosystem – being returned as a solution to the biodiversity loss crisis.

Snaring, driven by the demand for wildlife products in the urban middle class, has had a dramatic impact on the terrestrial vertebrate community of the Annamite Mountains of Vietnam and Laos. Re:wild has been working with partners to address the snaring crisis in three parks in Vietnam and have demonstrated a reduction in snaring.

We are also supporting the development of a conservation breeding center in Vietnam for a range of threatened endemic species. We plan to use a combination of wildlife crime prevention and conservation breeding and reintroductions to rewild these core sites.

Mauritius is the ancestral home of the Dodo. Initial conversations with key partners has led to the identification of three possible reintroduction sites, but we still have a long way to go to confirm a site. All potential sites have nonnative invasive species such as rats that, in large part, led to the extinction of the Dodo in the first place. Whichever site is chosen, the removal of all invasive species will be required alongside a strong biosecurity program to prevent any reinvasion. This will have a significant impact on a host of other native species that are impacted by invasive species.

The Dodo's habitat will need to be restored, tourism operations will need to prepare, communities will need to deeply engage in the management of the site, and there must be a transparent benefit-sharing mechanism that allows local communities to benefit from the presence of Dodo. Prior to any releases, we will work with and support local partners to address these important steps first.

We are working to identify both a suitable site for Arctic rewilding and partners to collaborate with locally. The first step is to connect with local communities, Indigenous peoples, local governments and other stakeholders to develop a shared vision for the site.

Next we will work together on effective management of the site to protect native species and reintroduce species currently missing from the ecosystem.

Since committing to restoring the Thylacine Colossal has made significant advances in this pursuit, including the announcement of the formation of the Tasmania Thylacine Advisory Committee.

Led by Tasmanian Mayor of Derwent Valley, Michele Dracoulis, this committee will provide a crucial public body for the discussion, development and dissemination of plans related to the rewilding of the Thylacine.

Additionally, Colossal is working with local landowners in Tasmania to identify rewilding sites in order to begin working site preparation today.