In the last decades of the 20th century, a more pro-active dimension to conservation began to emerge, which attempted to not just stop the destruction of habitats or species, but to reverse the damage that had already taken place.
The focus is on allowing natural processes to become re-established, so that ecosystems, and their interconnected web of species, can become more fully functional again.
Rewilding therefore, can be viewed as a movement to reverse the damage that has been inflicted on the planet. In practical terms, rewilding consists of the restoration of healthy vegetation communities, reinstatement of ecological processes and the reintroduction of key species that have been removed.