There are different ways to access land. From private estates in Scotland to hunting concessions in Croatia, areas of land and sea across Europe are owned, used and managed by different people and organisations in many different ways.
Those who want to engage in practical rewilding require access to land. As very few of us already have land of our own we need to find other ways to access it.
Click on each icon below to learn more about the main ways to do this.
Direct purchase of land by an individual, a single organisation, or a group.
Leasing land or purchasing the management rights for a piece of land.
Forming a collaborative partnership with a landowner or manager, to inspire them to engage in rewilding and give them advice and guidance as they move forward with their practical rewilding efforts.
Joining a working group, consultation or coalition that includes landowners, managers, users, and other local stakeholders to decide how an area of land or sea should be used and managed.
All of these approaches have their advantages (pros) and disadvantages (cons).
Activity: Are they pros or cons?
Allow 10 minutes
Match the pros (benefit) and cons (disadvantage) for each way of accessing land.
Land purchase:
Pros:
Most complete control over the way the land is used
Long-term influence – can be in perpetuity
Cons:
Usually expensive
Long-term maintenance costs
Others may have user rights that limit possible rewilding
actions
Land leasing:
Pros:
Cheaper than land purchase
Cons:
Usually fixed term – hard to make long-term changes
Leases may be for a specific purpose only, such as grazing
Partnership agreement:
Pros:
Build consensus and long-term understanding among
stakeholders
