May 14, 2024
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What is rewilding and why is it important to Africa?

A powerful transformation is taking place across the African continent–a transformation driven not by industry or urbanization but instead by a profound sense of responsibility and reverence for the earth's most majestic landscapes. It is what we call rewilding.

This urgent endeavor has captured the hearts and minds of conservationists, scientists and nature enthusiasts alike, who are working tirelessly to restore the continent's natural splendor to its full glory. Looking toward a brighter tomorrow, we explore the far-reaching effects of rewilding and how our ROAR AFRICA guests can play a part in this vital cause.

Rewilding, Defined

The essence of rewilding

Rewilding is a progressive, large-scale conservation approach that seeks to restore biodiversity and resilience in natural areas affected by human activity. In most cases, rewilding means reintroducing apex predators and other keystone species to a once-healthy ecosystem, helping it return to its wild, thriving state.

The effects of rewilding are astounding: plant and animal life flourish, climate change slows and people are given an opportunity to experience true, soul-nourishing wilderness.

Unlike other conservation efforts, rewilding demands minimal intervention from humans. As John Davis, Executive Director of the North American Rewilding Institute, summarizes: “Rewilding, in essence, is giving the land back to wildlife, and wildlife back to the land.”

The origins of rewilding

The concept of rewilding first emerged as “wilderness recovery” in 1970s North America and has spurred a global movement to return iconic ecosystems to balance. One of the most successful instances of rewilding in the following years was in Yellowstone National Park, where the reintroduction of wolves in the 1990s has since led to the rebalancing of deer and elk populations and, in turn, flourishing willows and aspens and a return to healthy activity for songbirds, beavers and other familiar species.

Rewilding’s recent resurgence

Though rewilding is relatively new to the conservation landscape, it has seen a recent increase in popularity thanks to success stories galvanizing changemakers across the globe. On ROAR AFRICA’s home continent, the rewilding work by Samara Karoo Reserve in South Africa has been of particular inspiration. Over the last two decades, proprietors Mark and Sarah Thompson have repaired over a century of agricultural exploitation and destruction in the Great Karoo ecosystem, reintroducing big game and, as a result, attracting leopards and vultures of their own accord. Through a commitment to thoughtful travel that protects and preserves, ROAR AFRICA consistently sends guests on luxury South Africa safaris to the Karoo to spend time among Samara’s storied antelope herds, magnificent Big Five and lush green spaces—all brought back to life through rewilding—and to appreciate the responsibility of such an undertaking.

Why Rewilding Africa Matters

Reinvigorating biodiverse ecosystems

Rewilding has countless long-term benefits, chief among them the power to visibly heal the planet’s most beautiful landscapes. Human activity has drastically reduced Africa’s renowned biodiversity, but by restoring the natural rhythms of the wild, we spur a renewal of diverse species that clean water, clear air and slow climate change. When predators are brought back to their natural habitats, other flora and fauna follow, stimulating a movement of nutrients that can transform barren land into a bucolic paradise.

Allowing wildlife to thrive

We know this: wildlife flourishes with minimal human interference. Take African Parks’ bid to rewild 2,000 South African rhinos in the next decade as an example. Rhinos are a keystone species and their behavior plays a crucial role in diversifying and safeguarding ecosystems. Their mud-wallowing helps maintain waterholes for giraffes, elephants and many more, while their dung fertilizes the soil and provides food for insects and, in turn, birds. Rewilding one native species has a positive ripple effect on so many others, protecting countless species from the fate of extinction.

Mitigating climate change

An increase in biodiversity helps remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, aiding in the stabilization of global temperatures we so desperately need. As unpredictable weather becomes more of a reality, rewilding can be a source of hope. Healthy ecosystems put up a better fight against climate change, natural disasters and invasive species, making a gain in biodiversity far greater than a loss.

Improving the well-being of local communities

Conservation is the gift that gives forever. Not only does a rewilded landscape offer local communities economic opportunities through work in conservation and ecotourism, but it also improves the physical and mental health of anyone stepping onto the land. For travelers to Africa, nothing compares to the joy of observing an untamed animal in the wild. And for the continent’s indigenous communities, a return to healthy, wild green spaces means a reclamation of native food systems, cultural traditions and ways of life—all of which protect Africa’s precious wild areas for generations to follow.

Rewilding Success Stories

ROAR AFRICA could not be more thrilled to share Segera successful strides in rewilding large tracts of the Kenyan wilderness. Tipping the scale for a critically endangered species, the Zeitz Foundation is working to bring black rhinos home to the sacred foothills of Mount Kenya. Leading the charge in rhino conservation, this tireless team has already brought the country’s population to 5,000, up from only 400 after numbers fell dramatically by 98% between 1970 and 1985.

For the last two decades, owner Jochen Zeitz has overseen a patient transformation of Segera’s 50,000-acre home on Kenya’s Laikipia Plateau, removing fencing and reintroducing game to the once-overgrazed land. Wildlife large and small have responded as hoped, returning in droves and restoring Segera to a fertile sanctuary for lions and leopards, elephants and buffalo, 150 bird species and hundreds of thousands of indigenous trees. This revitalization has set the stage for the Zeitz Foundation’s most ambitious project yet: to create one of the world’s largest rhino sanctuaries by forging migratory corridors between the Segera Conservancy and neighboring wilderness areas.

Rhino conservation is intense, expensive work, but the mission to return one of the world’s most endangered species to the wild is well worth the effort. Rewilding Africa means rewilding the rhino, a pillar of biodiversity that shapes ecosystems and secures a healthy dynamic. We at ROAR AFRICA are proud to support Segera’s groundbreaking initiative in every phase and look forward to our guests visiting Segera Rhino Sanctuary on a luxury Kenya safari and experiencing the incredible benefits of rewilding firsthand.

ROAR AFRICA is committed to responsible travel and sustainable tourism in every move we make. Play a part in rewilding Africa by embarking on a luxury safari with our team of cultural and conservation changemakers.

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