Rewilding: A Promising Solution to Urbanization Issues

Air pollution. Traffic. Animals dying. Habitat loss.

All of these issues are side effects of urbanization, according to the United Nations. But, with a new rewilding solution that is being tested in the United States, these problems could be significantly mitigated.

Nyeema Harris, a wildlife biologist at the Yale School of the Environment, works at the cutting edge of rewilding research. This solution harnesses the process of revitalizing and protecting natural areas that are threatened by cities. Through rewilding, humans help start the process of conservation by removing immediate urbanization obstacles; then, humans step aside and let the environment naturally continue the task.

Harris’s team has specifically executed rewilding efforts to combat the urbanization issue of animal extinction. In 2019, UN data showed that almost one million plant and animal species are nearing extinction and falling into the “threatened” category. With these dangers growing, rewilding can be a critical intervention to help us avert ecological catastrophe. Read more about Harris’s work and findings in the Los Angeles Times.