Nish Kumar Calls for Major Rewilding Efforts in Britain During Charity Event
On Friday 28 November, 2025, renowned comedian, writer, and activist Nish Kumar added his influential voice to the growing calls for major rewilding efforts in Britain’s lands and seas. Kumar’s support for this cause comes ahead of his hosting of a special fundraiser event held in London on November 27. The event, which marked charity Rewilding Britain’s 10th anniversary, was attended by a diverse range of guests from culture, communities, politics, land management, and conservation.
During the event, attendees celebrated a “decade of wild hope” while also addressing the pressing issue that nature recovery in Britain is being hindered by inadequate policies, laws, and funding. Kumar, a passionate advocate for rewilding, expressed his vision for the future, saying, “The future I want to see is one where the incredible diversity of nature replaces polluted waters and silent landscapes. Where wildlife, from busy beavers to vibrant red squirrels, is thriving – helping repair broken ecosystems and creating a greener, richer, healthier future for us all.”
Kumar believes that rewilding is a crucial piece of the puzzle in achieving this vision and bringing about fantastic opportunities in job creation, economic re-growth, and improved health and wellbeing. Rewilding, which involves large-scale nature restoration, offers hope for tackling the nature and climate emergencies and can create a cascade of benefits for people, according to Rewilding Britain.
As one of the world’s most nature-depleted countries, there have been growing calls for rewilding 30% of Britain’s land and seas. This can be achieved by restoring habitats such as peatlands, native woodlands, wetlands, rivers, and seas, while also maintaining and benefiting productive farmland, says Rewilding Britain.
The charity notes that over the past 10 years, rewilding has evolved from a niche idea to a growing movement. However, Rewilding Britain warns that far greater investment and political support are needed to realize the full potential of rewilding in promoting biodiversity, climate action, and a range of benefits from job creation to improved health.
Founder and chief executive of Rewilding Britain, Rebecca Wrigley, expressed her admiration for the progress that has been made in the last decade, saying, “It’s inspiring to see how far rewilding has come in the last decade. We’ve witnessed remarkable transformations in landscapes, and a growing understanding of nature’s power to heal itself. But we now need to significantly scale up this story of hope, so we can breathe new life into our landscapes and seas.”
The Rewilding Britain-managed Rewilding Network, which brings together communities, charities, farmers, landowners, and public bodies across Britain, now includes more than 1,000 projects, covering over 206,500 hectares of land and 1,000 square kilometers of sea. Through its Innovation Fund and Challenge Fund, Rewilding Britain has provided over £1.1 million in funding to support over 70 projects. In Scotland, rewilding has led to a five-fold increase in jobs, and a doubling in England and Wales. The charity also notes that public support for rewilding has surged, with 83% of the British public now backing the cause.
Rewilding efforts have also made their way into UK government plans, including Environmental Land Management schemes, and official nature targets for Scotland and Wales. Additionally, a campaign led by the Scottish Rewilding Alliance, calling on Scotland to declare itself the world’s first Rewilding Nation, has gained support from thousands of people, including actors Brian Cox and Alan Cumming, musician Nathan Evans, Hollywood A-lister Leonardo DiCaprio, and activists Laura Young (Less Waste Laura) and Somhairle.
Despite this progress, Rewilding Britain notes that less than 1% of Britain is currently rewilding, and many politicians are failing to seize the opportunities or keep pace with public support. The charity also states that the appetite for rewilding is now surpassing the available resources. In fact, the latest round of applications for the charity’s Rewilding Innovation Fund, which has been running twice a year since 2021, was its most oversubscribed funding opportunity to date, with nearly six times more projects applying for funding than was available.
Rebecca Wrigley emphasized the need for more resources and investment in rewilding, saying, “With more resources and greater investment in rewilding, Britain could do so much more to restore biodiversity, protect habitats and connect people with nature. We all deserve a future where nature offers opportunities for flourishing livelihoods and quality of life, where elk, lynx and beavers inhabit wild and healthy landscapes again, and where communities are protected from extreme weather events by restored seagrass meadows, oyster reefs, pe
Derick is an experienced reporter having held multiple senior roles for large publishers across Europe. Specialist subjects include small business and financial emerging markets.