The British Isles were once a vastly different place.
Landscapes were altered by dams built by beavers and clearings made by bison,
wolves hunted packs of reindeer, and it all worked in perfect balance.
But island populations are known for being fragile and delicately balanced.
Changes in climate, overhunting or habitat loss can easily tip
a species into local extinction.
And while some birds can fly over and start a new breeding colony,
most animals can't just wander back across our borders.
Since we're not going to find bears swimming across the channel any time soon.
If we want them back, we need to bring them back ourselves.
But is there even a place for these species anymore?
We've seen a few species brought back in recent years,
ranging from Eurasian beavers to Large Blue butterflies.
So today we'll be looking at three more species that could be reintroduced,
starting with one that we should be seeing soon.
The European Bison.
This is the closest living relative of the long extinct Steppe Bison
which used to roam the U.K. thousands of years ago.
But it almost went the same way itself. In the early 20th century,
the European Bison was declared
extinct in the wild after being over hunted in Europe.
But a population of 50 was saved by a zoo in Poland.
That population was then bred, with the species
gradually being reintroduced to conservation areas across Europe,
and the plan is for us to be next. They will be released into Blean Woods
in Kent for Spring 2022, where they will roam a 1200 acre area.
But since I haven't been present for so long, why bother bringing them back?
Well, Bison act as a keystone species, meaning they shape the land around them
and have an impact on many other species living alongside them.
The habit of debarking trees causes them to fall, which creates open areas in forests
and creates miniature ecosystems for rare wildflowers and butterflies.
This also results in the creation of standing deadwood, which is essential
for fungi and many more species that are struggling in the UK.
Much like beavers, they sound like a very destructive species to bring back
but their destructive tendencies could act as a lifeline for many of our struggling species.
Needless to say, I think we'll all be keeping an eye
on this latest project and keeping our fingers crossed, hoping for the best.
On that note, I'd like to tell you about a rewilding project
that we're undertaking here at Mossy Earth,
but it's a bit different from the examples on this list
because... It's a tree.
Eurasian Aspen has been largely wiped out from Scotland, predominantly
thanks to historical management of Scottish woodlands and the fact
that deer have a particular taste for Aspen Saplings.
In the spring of 2021, we committed to planting and protecting
10,000 aspen trees over the next five years, and a little over a year
on, we can proudly say we planted 2700 so far.
This is a little off topic though, so I won't go too in-depth,
but if you'd like to find out more about this project and others, as well as how
you can support us, you can do so on our website.
Be sure to check that out if you might be interested.
But now let's get back on topic and talk about a potential candidate
for reintroduction that most of you have probably heard of; The Eurasian Lynx.
The potential reintroduction of lynx has been formally discussed since 2008,
but in recent years we've seen discussions pick up speed a lot.
They've been extinct in the UK for hundreds of years, likely due to hunting and habitat loss.
And again, they suffered a similar decline in Europe
but were saved from extinction by conservation efforts.
One argument in favour of their return is that they could help control
the numbers of deer, particularly Roe Deer, whose numbers have increased
drastically since large carnivores disappeared from Britain.
But with the benefits associated with reintroducing an apex predator come problems.
While it's evidenced that Scotland in particular could provide the large territories that Eurasian lynx
require, the risk they pose to sheep raises issues with farmers.
But that's less of a risk than it might sound,
where there are abundant prey species.
Lynx don't kill livestock often. They're characteristically shy,
prefer to hunt in woodlands and show a strong preference for eating Roe Deer.
They could also help reduce Fox numbers through predation, but that doesn't mean
they wouldn't cause problems if they weren't reintroduced to Britain.
Any reintroduction attempts
would need to carefully consider how to mitigate the risks.
So while a reintroduction is plausible, we'll have many more debates to hear
before we see them return.
That leads us on to our third and final potential species.
The European Elk, or Moose as it's known in America,
went extinct in the UK around 2 to 3000 years ago.
But when it was here, it had a role in opening clearings
and promoting natural regeneration through grazing and trampling.
Currently though, the UK has a big problem
with the abundance of deer and lack of predators.
So introducing yet another deer species could exacerbate this problem.
With that being said, two elk were introduced
to a fenced enclosure in Alladale Wilderness Reserve in 2007.
This was not a formal reintroduction, but it served as a trial
to understand how they would adapt to and impact the habitat.
Unfortunately, it soon became apparent that they had to be fed extra
by reserve staff to maintain their body weight
as there was not enough woody vegetation within their enclosure.
This was made worse when legal complications
meant they had to be kept in an even smaller enclosure.
And in 2014 the decision was made to move them to more suitable zoos and parks.
No reintroductions have been attempted
since, and it's highly unlikely we'll see any anytime soon.
But this example does provide us with some lessons around rewilding.
Reintroducing species sounds a lot simpler than it is.
History is littered with examples of species
humans have introduced with high hopes only to mess up an ecosystem,
and even if a species historically occupied an area,
after centuries of absence, reintroducing them could easily cause massive problems.
But these animals did play key roles in maintaining their respective ecosystems
and could provide plenty of benefits to the rest of Britain's wildlife.
There are a lot of complexities, and we can never be truly sure of what will happen.
So it's important to trial reintroduction on a small scale to start.
Of course, doing things on a small scale was far more difficult
with a seven foot tall, one tonne European Bison than a Pool Frog or Large Blue butterfly.
It's easiest to just avoid debates around re-introducing
a species by making sure it never disappears in the first place,
so if you enjoyed this, I reckon you'd also enjoy our video
on protecting Atlantic Salmon in Scotland.
Thanks for watching,
and until next time. Cheers.