This book gives a detailed account of the history, theory, and current practices of rewilding. It includes chapters on the emergence of the rewilding movement in North America and in Europe; theoretical underpinnings such as trophic cascades, wildlife corridors and the substitution of extinct species with others that play similar ecological roles; case studies from several countries around the world including Mozambique and China; and the ethics and philosophy of rewilding.

A recording of the event “No More Omissions: Real Policy Action on Land Use, Animal Agriculture & GHGs–with a Focus on Methane” is now available. The event was held on 11 November 2022 at the COP27 Food4Climate Pavilion, organised by Brighter Green and the Global Forest Coalition.

Current climate mitigation pledges made as part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change rely on unrealistic amounts of land-based carbon sequestration, according to this report. 1.2 billion hectares of land would be needed - almost as much as the current global extent of cropland - and there could be significant negative impacts on food production, sustainable livelihoods for smallholder farmers, and indigenous peoples’ rights.

This paper maps the location and cumulative magnitude of the environmental pressures (greenhouse gas emissions, freshwater use, habitat disturbance and nutrient pollution) caused by both aquatic and land-based food production across the globe.

This book tells the story of the rainforests that once covered parts of Britain, with only small fragments now remaining. Author Guy Shrubsole explores why this ecosystem is little known by the public and even by environmentalists, and asks what can be done to bring it back.

The WWF sets out global trends in biodiversity over the past 50 years, concluding that land use change is currently the greatest threat to nature, but that climate change could overtake land use change in impact if we cannot keep warming to 1.5°C. The relative abundance of monitored vertebrate wildlife populations has declined by an average of 69% between 1970 and 2018, with particularly large declines (of 94%) in Latin America and the Caribbean. (For a definition of relative abundance, see page 9 of the Living Planet Index technical report). The report also emphasises the importance of indigenous knowledge and a rights-based approach to solving the nature, climate and pollution crises.

The UK’s Food, Farming & Countryside Commission has published a proposed land use framework for England, following Defra’s announcement that the government will publish its own strategy in 2023. The FFCC distinguishes its proposals from the government’s current strategy in two ways: the FFCC argues that any land use framework must encompass all uses, including both rural and urban; and it argues that both top-down and bottom-up planning approaches should be used at the same time.

The Science Based Targets initiative has published guidance for companies in land-intensive sectors on how to set science-based targets for reducing emissions from agriculture, forestry and other land use in line with the Paris Agreement’s climate goals. The key components include: setting near-term emissions reduction targets for the next 5-10 years; account for carbon sequestration options such as forest management and soil carbon sequestration; set long-term targets of cutting emissions by 74% by no later than 2050; set zero deforestation targets for no later than 2025; and set emissions reduction targets for both land use and fossil fuel use.

This report by the UNFCCC-supported Race to Zero sets out the implications for financial institutions of the shift towards sustainable land use. It sets out the policy landscape around limiting deforestation and land conversion for commodity production, as well as the financial losses in the food and agriculture sector caused by climate-linked disasters. It argues that investors are overlooking the risks to the financial value of 40 of the world’s largest food and agriculture firms that could be caused by new policies and changing consumer attitudes. It concludes that financial institutions need to do more to eliminate deforestation and land conversion from their portfolios, invest in nature-based solutions and advocate for just rural transition policies.