For the purposes of the day, BLUE defined rewilding the sea as any effort to improve the health of the ocean by actively restoring habitats and species, or by leaving it alone to recover. One of the discussion points of the conference was that rewilding in the oceans might involve “re-framing ambitions” with rewilding projects needing processes-oriented targets rather than predetermined, measurable goal setting. It may be that the focus should be on (positive) trends rather than fixed goals.

The conference report summarises presentations and discussions. One the keynote speakers Prof Callum Roberts commented “rewilding is not a luxury. It is not a niche interest for a small number of people. It is an absolute essential to rebuilding ecological processes and the services they provide for all of us. So rewilding is an essential for all of us.”

Click here for the conference report