Description
Rewilding has emerged as the new paradigm in conservation, policy and management of peripheral agri-landscapes (Pettorelli et al., 2019). This shift towards more naturally-regulated, autonomous and ecologically functioning ecosystems has the potential to provide a vast suite of improved ecosystem goods and services including leisure and nature-based tourism (Rewilding Britain, 2021; Cerqueira et al., 2015). Advocates such as Rewilding Europe (RE) claim that rewilding offers huge tourism potential and suggest that it can invigorate marginalised rural communities, providing employment in new nature-based economies (Rewilding Europe, 2024; Lorimer et al., 2015). Furthermore, it is argued that tourism itself can provide the economic justification and finance for rewilding initiatives (Pellis, 2019), however, this assertion is largely untested and there is a paucity of research on the economic benefits of rewilding initiatives (Faure et al., 2024). Moreover, paradoxically, such restorative land management practices can conversely be used to legitimise the exclusion of people and their leisure and cultural practices (Jørgensen, 2015).This study critically examines how the appeal of a destination is influenced by the process of rewilding and identifies the opportunities and constraints of the development of tourism, with specific reference to Wild Ennerdale, a well-established passive landscape scale rewilding initiative in the English Lake District. A mixed method approach was adopted, with 13 semi-structured interviews capturing the views of local tourism entrepreneurs, in addition to 105 visitor surveys. Nine dimensions of leisure in rewilding initiatives were identified and highlighted the contestations and tensions between stakeholders in nature-based tourism in areas undergoing ecological change. A conceptual model of the relationship between the dimensions of recreation and rewilding is also presented. These findings highlight the opportunities and constraints of rewilding tourism and shed light in this field for financiers of conservation, policy makers, land managers, local communities and entrepreneurs.
| Period | 10 Jul 2025 |
|---|---|
| Event title | 50th Leisure Studies Association Annual Conference 2025: Leisure and social justice in changing and challenging times |
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | York, United KingdomShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |