rewilding

American  

[ree-wahyl-ding] / riˈwaɪl dɪŋ /

noun

1. the process of introducing animals or plants to their original habitat or one similar.

2. the process of returning land to an earlier, more natural state.

---

rewilding British  

/ riːˈwaɪldɪŋ /

noun

1. the practice of returning areas of land to a wild state, including the reintroduction of animal species that are no longer naturally found there

---

Etymology

Origin of rewilding

First recorded in 1990–95; rewild ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

They said their report highlighted tensions between Scotland's rewilding ambitions and concerns over agricultural damage and potential disease risk.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026

For a decade, researchers have been working to reintroduce 12 other endemic species to Floreana as part of a rewilding program.

From Barron's • Feb. 20, 2026

Trees for Life, which has a 10,000-acre rewilding estate in the Scottish Highlands, says: "Lynx could bring a wide range of ecological and societal benefits to Scotland."

From BBC • Dec. 25, 2025

Since Paris restricted the use of pesticides during the 2010s, an extraordinary rewilding has taken place in the cemetery.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

If governments and the legal system won’t nurture these waters, we must seek out and support rewilding efforts on our own.

From Salon • Aug. 16, 2025