Wilderness in the City: Exploring Strategies and Management Approaches for Urban Ecological Rewilding

Abstract

Urban ecological rewilding represents a promising strategy to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services within the cities while ameliorating the impacts of climate change. However, as this is a new area of interest, few reviews of current research have been conducted. This study sought to identify the most common approaches to ecological rewilding in urban settings and to provide a list of actionable recommendations for future rewilding efforts. A systematic literature review was conducted, examining the current state of urban rewilding research for rewilding strategies and their outcomes. Two primary approaches to urban rewilding were found: passive rewilding, which allows the return of successional dynamics due to removal of human management, and active rewilding, which involves deliberate management actions to restore ecosystem functioning. A further synthesis of the research resulted in a set of ten recommendations to guide managers and policymakers in effectively implementing rewilding projects in cities. By selecting the right rewilding approach and following the proposed recommendations, urban rewilding initiatives can be more effectively designed and managed. The capacity of cities, especially in under-researched areas, to utilize these recommendations and carry out comprehensive greenspace planning should be prioritized. While carrying out this analysis, a crucial gap between research and recommendations was exposed, which illuminates the need for further investigation into the efficacy of specific ecological recommendations in cities. Therefore, additional research is encouraged to test and refine these recommendations, explore the long-term impacts of rewilding on urban biodiversity and human well-being, and investigate capacity-building in cities.