Rewilding means restoring the future

Rewilding is a term that has grown in popularity in recent years, from its first usage in the 1990s to gradually gaining influence in the conservation sphere until breaking into the mainstream in the last decade. 

Exact definitions vary, but for the Royal Commission for AlUla, rewilding means working with nature to restore damaged ecosystems at scale. It is helping the natural processes recover and rejuvenating biodiversity to the point that they are resilient and self-sustaining. It is not, as some people may assume, removing humans or all interventions. Instead, it aims to find a better balance between people and nature, recognizing that we, too, are part of the landscape.

Rewilding projects around the world vary greatly in size, scope and context. In Europe and the US, where the concept of rewilding largely originated, it is often about allowing the return or reintroduction of species that were hunted out of existence in recent centuries, such as wolves, lynx, beavers and white-tailed eagles. 

This can be a natural solution for conservation goals, such as easing overgrazing by deer to allow woodland to regrow, or an animal’s role as ecosystem engineers, like beavers building leaky dams that filter river water, slow floods and create ponds where other species thrive. On a smaller scale, rewilding can be targeted interventions, like the removal of manmade dams allowing salmon runs for the first time in decades, or using traditional goat breeds to help regenerate wildflower meadows.

In South America, rewilding is often associated with vast landscape-scale protection and restoration, as in Chilean Patagonia or the Ibera wetlands of Argentina. In Singapore, urban regreening has boosted biodiversity and allowed large mammals to return, while in Indonesia, coral reefs are being restored with innovative man-made frames. In Australia, the focus is on protecting small native species that play important ecological roles that are at threat from being introduced to non-native predators, as well as Indigenous communities’ custodianship.

Here in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, we have our own context where we combine elements of almost all the above in what is one of the most ambitious rewilding projects on Earth. When RCU first declared its six nature reserves in 2019, five in AlUla and one in Khaybar, the landscape of the newly protected areas was degraded and had lost much of its biodiversity after years of overgrazing and hunting. To meet the ambitious goal of successfully reintroducing the critically endangered Arabian leopard to the wild in AlUla, we first need to protect, restore and rewild our nature reserves.

It is a complex, multiyear process with many levels, projects and interventions aiming to reestablish a thriving, biodiverse ecosystem. We must also ensure it can flourish into the future by building ecological robustness and local support.

Years of research, field surveys and strategizing working with international organizations and experts, for example, the creation of management plans for the 12,160 sq. km protected area network in partnership with IUCN, have provided strong foundations for our efforts.

We are working to restore AlUla’s flora, founding a seed bank and nursery, cultivating nearly 100 native species and planting over half-a-million seedlings to date, while also experimenting with innovative techniques to improve methods.

Smaller animals are already benefiting from the increase in food and habitat, and larger ungulates have returned with the releases of the Arabian oryx, Nubian ibex, Arabian gazelle and sand gazelle, further repairing the desert’s complex food web.

Community engagement and education are vital, with RCU hosting visits to project sites and training “nature champion” teachers to be ambassadors for the natural world. There are direct benefits in job creation, such as the founding of a ranger force to protect the reserves employing of over 150 citizens, and the many other roles that support nature-based tourism, from tour guides to chefs. There will be wider benefits that may be harder to measure but still felt, such as more abundant native flowers for beekeepers’ colonies to gather from, and sustainable grazing plans meaning traditional ways of farming can continue into the future.

The results of our efforts since 2019 have been very encouraging. A 43 percent increase of plant cover within Sharaan National Park, thriving populations of reintroduced antelope, and significant numbers of endangered birds nesting having found a protected haven. 

The future looks bright with a new Arabian leopard breeding center, to be built in AlUla this year, as RCU’s conservation breeding program expands to begin the rewilding process on the road to reintroducing Saudi Arabia’s apex predator.

It is this narrative of hope and real-world action in the face of the climate crisis and biodiversity loss that has perhaps given rewilding such traction in recent years. It is no longer just a bold idea, but a proven approach providing practical tools to meet global conservation goals such as protecting 30 percent of the world’s land and sea by 2030, as seen in Saudi Vision 2030.

What links all rewilding projects around the globe, from AlUla to Argentina, is a shared desire to turn the tide and help nature recover. The 2025 IUCN Conservation Congress was an inspirational week, and it was a privilege to be among peers collectively working towards a wilder, sustainable future where people and nature can thrive together.

• Sami Al-Malki is habitat regeneration and landscaping acting director at the Royal Commission for AlUla.