ETHPrague 2024

Rewilding – nature conservation's punk?
06-02, 10:30–10:55 (Europe/Prague), Root Stage

World's failure to meet conservation targets demands new approach. Rewilding in Europe aims to restore ecosystems, reconnect humans with nature. Can it be to conservation what SolarPunk is to energy? "Collettivo Rewild Sicily" seeks to ground-truth rewilding in Mediterranean.


Up until now, the world has failed to meet a single target to stop nature destruction. It's high time we reconsider our approach to nature conservation. A revolutionary concept gaining traction in Europe is Rewilding. It aims to restore natural processes, foster a nature-based economy, and reintegrate our own species with the natural world from which we've become strangely disconnected. Could Rewilding be to nature conservation what Solarpunk is to the Energy Transition and Permaculture is to agriculture? The grassroots organization "Collettivo Rewild Sicily" has set out to ground-truth rewilding principles in the heart of the Mediterranean – initiatives focus on preventing wildfires (Anti-wildfire summer camp), practicing agroforestry (Seven Heavens forest), implementing regenerative grazing, and harnessing local ecological knowledge (CyberTracker) for a wilder, greener, and happier Sicily.

Hanna has a background in art, design and culture before moving into nature conservation and rewilding. She co-founded "Collettivo Rewild Sicily" as a small-scale rewilding initiative exploring bottom-up approaches to habitat restoration, nature-based economies, and local ecological knowledge with and for the community.