Rewilding the Future: Insights from Citizen Zoo’s Conference
21st January 2025
Last week, Cambridge buzzed with optimism as Citizen Zoo’s ‘Rewilding the Future’ conference offered a refreshing dose of hope for biodiversity.
With the need for environmental stewardship growing ever more urgent – underscored by the recent events of Blue Monday and the U.S.’s withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement – the conference inspired hope for those committed to a wilder, more sustainable future.
Held from 17-18 January, the two-day event brought together nearly 500 participants from across the globe. Citizen Zoo, a member of the Cambridge Conservation Initiative’s partner Cambridge Conservation Forum (CCF), facilitated inspiring discussions with rewilding experts, ecologists, and advocates, sharing practical strategies and success stories for nature restoration.
A full Babbage Lecture Theatre during Citizen Zoo’s ‘Rewilding the Future’ conference © Frans Schepers
Hosted at the Babbage Lecture Theatre and the David Attenborough Building, the conference highlighted the growing recognition of rewilding in science, policy, and practice. It showcased how diverse groups – from farmers to indigenous communities – are driving nature recovery efforts worldwide, making significant strides in restoring ecosystems across continents.
A range of organisations, including CCI partners, participated and presented in plenaries, workshops, and talks. CCI’s Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme (ELSP) was represented by Director David Thomas, who co-delivered a talk with Frans Schepers of Rewilding Europe. They shared insights from over 13 years of practical experience supporting 22 landscapes across 32 European countries.
Their session focused on the eight key success factors that underpin effective landscape-scale restoration and rewilding in Europe. These principles were echoed throughout the conference, applied to both small- and large-scale approaches in terrestrial and marine rewilding.
David Thomas of the Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme and Frans Schepers of Rewilding Europe share eight key success factors for impactful conservation, including thinking big at the landscape level and promoting inclusivity, partnerships, and evidence-based action.
The ideas, debates, and practical examples offered hope while also sparking candid discussions about challenges – from controversies over growing wolf populations in Europe and lynx reintroductions in Scotland to the political hurdles of rewilding the sea.
Discussions on scaling rewilding through technology and collaboration were also a key focus, as was exploring how art can be used to scale climate action through public engagement – an approach embraced through the CCI Arts, Science, and Conservation Programme.
An example of a large-scale act of public art and climate action was given during the opening talk, highlighting ‘THE HERDS’. From April to August 2025, herds of life-size puppet animals, created from renewable and recyclable materials, will travel through city centres in Africa and Europe, fleeing to escape climate disaster. World-leading artists and organisations from climate and culture have collaborated to demonstrate how people working together can demand change.
One of the slides from the opening talk exploring how art and culture can inspire and engage communities in conservation.
A huge thank you to the team at Citizen Zoo for joining us at our hub and creating such a dynamic, engaging space for shared learning and connection. With CCI’s focus on ‘Transformative Restoration’ this year, we’ve gathered plenty of ideas and partnership opportunities for the months ahead.
Now, more than ever, we must recognise the importance of coming together and empowering others to make decisions that drive action and maintain momentum in tackling the climate and biodiversity crises.
When asked to describe how they felt about the presentations and discussions, conference-goers most frequently expressed hope and inspiration.