Europe is changing. Species once in decline, like wolves, bison and white-tailed eagles, are making a comeback. But while nature is beginning to recover, how we respond to this recovery will shape its future. A new partnership between Rewilding Europe and the Mayors of Europe is working to make sure that wildlife comeback isn’t just tolerated but welcomed – and that communities lead the way. Backed by an Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme Advancing Restoration Knowledge grant, this work is helping to develop and share co-existence strategies with communities across Europe.
Towards co-prosperity
While the benefits of wildlife comeback in Europe are clear and compelling, the situation on the ground is often more complex. When wildlife populations do start to recover, it often brings challenges – this is particularly true when it comes to large mammals such as bears and bison, which are often perceived as a threat to people, property, and other animals.
Instead of aiming only to reduce conflict, many communities are now working towards co-prosperity: situations where both people and wildlife benefit from sharing space. This shift in mindset is grounded in local leadership, trust, and the belief that nature recovery can bring long-term gains – from tourism and livelihoods to a deeper sense of place and belonging.
Guidelines for enhancing co-existence
Europe is an incredibly diverse continent, which means measures that enable people and wildlife to share space successfully will vary widely from place to place. Ensuring people can live alongside and thrive together with bears in the Central Apennines of Italy, for example, requires a different approach to ensuring people and Dalmatian pelicans can flourish together in wetlands across Southeastern Europe. However, there are still underlying principles and processes that can help local people determine the best approaches and practical measures for their local context.
At the end of May, Rewilding Europe convened a co-existence workshop in the Central Apennines rewilding landscape in Italy, which was supported by the Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme, and attended by representatives from Rewilding Apennines, Rewilding Oder Delta, Rewilding Romania, Rewilding Rhodopes, and Rewilding Portugal, as well as Rewilding Europe’s Central Team. The overarching aim was to use the significant experience and expertise of the attendees, and consult with local people who are already living well with wildlife, to develop widely applicable guidelines for elevating the way people and wildlife live together across Europe.
Empowering local leadership
Conversations about wildlife and people require strong local leadership. Community leaders such as mayors and municipal staff have a critical role to play in this. To support this, Rewilding Europe has signed a partnership with the Mayors of Europe, a network organisation that builds bridges between all European mayors so that they can exchange information about best practice in a wide range of areas.
As leaders in their communities, European mayors are in a unique position to facilitate positive dialogue on how to share space with wildlife at a local level. Through the new partnership, Rewilding Europe aims to provide mayors with information and inspiration to support the return of wildlife in ways that generate shared benefits. At the same time, it is important that Rewilding Europe gains insights into the needs and interests of mayors, so that guidance and resources can be tailored as local leaders take the lead on co-existence issues.
“Rewilding is not only about restoring landscapes, it’s also about restoring relationships,” says Svetlana Tesic, co-founder of the Alliance of European Mayors. “It’s about re-awakening our connection to the natural world and re-imagining the future of our communities. When people and wildlife learn to share space again, we create more than ecological balance – we create hope, resilience, and a deeper sense of belonging. This partnership is rooted in the belief that Europe’s future can be both wilder and wiser, where the return of nature becomes a shared story of co-existence, care, and renewal.”
Moving forwards
As part of their new partnership, Rewilding Europe and the Mayors of Europe have agreed a joint action plan that lays out goals and actions for the next year. Rewilding Europe will use the outputs of the co-existence workshop in the Central Apennines, together with feedback gathered from mayors, to put together online, interactive guidance about living with wildlife, which will then be disseminated across the Mayors of Europe network and beyond in 2026.
“How people perceive wildlife varies between villages, streets, and even within the same household,” says Rewilding Europe’s Head of Upscaling, Amy Duthie. “This means we need to listen to local people and help them find ways to share space with wildlife in a mutually beneficial way.
“We’re thrilled to be working with the Mayors of Europe because local leaders are critical to achieving this. With National Nature Restoration Plans now being drawn up by countries across Europe, this is the right time for local leaders to be recognised and supported in the essential role they play in enabling nature recovery.”
This article was written by Daniel Allen, and was originally published on the Rewilding Europe website. To find out more about the Accelerating Coexistence Advancing Restoration Knowledge project, visit their project page.
