For more wonder, rewild the world | George Monbiot

Wolves were once native to the US' Yellowstone National Park -- until hunting wiped them out. But when, in 1995, the wolves began to come back (thanks to an aggressive management program), something interesting happened: the rest of the park began to find a new, more healthful balance. In a bold thought experiment, George Monbiot imagines a wilder world in which humans work to restore the complex, lost natural food chains that once surrounded us.
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[@buddyandjames]

Our silent Spring could be replaced by a raucous Summer. Hope. Beautiful. Makes perfect sense to me. Highly motivating and inspiring. Right direction ~

[@lemsip207]

The anti Agenda 21 movement don't want rewilding because they think wolves and bears would be used to deter people living or visiting the countryside but as George Monbiot pointed out a trip to the countryside is rather dull without rewilding. It is merely a wet desert.

[@davethedude1234]

Summer was awesome.

[@Gladedancer]

I love the concept of rewilding! I cannot remember being so inspired and excited about the future of ecology.

[@edouardomaindargent7685]

Just go and watch European bison, you'll be even more excited! We have some in middle south of France!

[@doodelay]

Good lord, this is a truly radical suggestion. I am thoroughly impressed with this man.

[@williamcreed3676]

doodelay Who doesn't like a big hairy beaver.

[@sarban1653]

The elephant, rhino, hippo, etc. is radical but bringing back some species that lived in the UK until recently such as the elk, brown bear, wolf, lynx, etc. is not radical IMO.

[@juliewake4585]

Doodelay read him more. He’s incredible.

[@TheWholesomeGardener]

Flawless and Beautiful Speech!!!

[@ProdigiousHdawg]

I love the passion in this man's voice, and how incredibly enthused he is while talking about all of this!

[@BrendanDean99]

What a wonderful vision...Thank you for that

[@clairecharron2258]

To me, Rewilding is the only way to hope that in turn leads to actions that, at last, starts fixing our ho so fragile and precious home. Thank you Mr. Monbiot. Thank you.

[@julietvrphotography]

I came across rewilding again recently, and it has given me hope for a better future. I also have realised what I want to do in life, and what I want to devote myself to. It makes me feel so much better.

[@thhoh3]

Such an inspiring and well-delivered talk. Thank you!

[@lyndaschroeder8117]

All this needs to be taught to every student in school. Nature is complete in ways so few of us know...and because of it we are techying ourselves into exstinction by being so ignorant. George is rare hope.

[@velvetindigonight]

Rubbish is taught on purpose to keep children and adults hypnotised and lacking in common sense/common knowledge so easy to control then add trauma and debt and you have the food chain for capitalism.

[@FocusWLN]

Brilliant talk on a subject that so many of us can feel genuinely excited by. Paints a utopian yet realistic imagine, highly developed human areas and pockets of pristine wilderness... We can hope. Cheers Monbiot, keep up the good work!

[@romanjimenezgil]

I Guess you do not understand It fully. He means, i think, an enormous change. The plot of land empry opposite our houses, our gardens, our parks,our rivers...let them develop themselves and reintroduce if necessary species. It is pockets but rewilding everywhere

[@JosephEpik]

One of the best TED talks. Absolutely amazing.

[@MrFelixdodd]

Monbiot for Prime Minister!

[@prairledoggedrez4758]

Yeah one more Rat in the nest ~ he would fit in there quite snugly.

[@tmrmilano]

could you expand on that statement?

[@lemsip207]

Having good ideas and being an expert in his field doesn't mean he would make a good Prime Minister. I would rather Jeremy Corbyn.

[@stonent]

LOL at Corbyn...

[@alanblanes9572]

@@lemsip207 Corbyn first - then Monbiot if and when he avails himself of an elected political life.

[@juliewake4585]

This is one of the many reasons love George Monbiot.

[@dennismiller5725]

A wonderfully straightforward definition of what nature does, that we have completely misconstrued what was before our eyes all the time.

[@raymondbedborough8522]

Speaks so informatively on so many subjects.

[@erisi]

wonderful talk

[@tommydudley4103]

What a breath of fresh air... Monbiot makes me want to live for life!

[@manuelm.villarosa8289]

Excellent #TEDTalk speech, Mr. #GeorgeMonbiot (@GeorgeMonbiot)! 👍👍 🌿🏆🌿

[@thomaf09]

brilliant man, this was inspiring

[@mzungnguyen]

Inspiring stuff Mr. Monbiot. Last year I spent a few months working on a few nature reserve in Africa, an area previously cultivated by man and rewilded. Working in an environment when the delicious frisson of possibility that the next corner might see you side by side with a lion or an elephant was wonderful. I don't think I've ever felt more in touch with the natural world, and as a result, more in touch with myself.

[@whanggoldpaw1797]

Leopard could be introduced to Europe from Africa or India. Leopards were in Europe during the Pleistocene. To keep them from attacking people, when they are released they could be shot with paintball guns and chased by dogs, like they do with bears in the U.S to make them fear humans.

[@sonikku956]

There are actually some leopards in the far east section of Europe, in the Caucasus region.

[@sarban1653]

sonikku956 - The Caucasus isn't part of Europe proper. When he says Europe, he's talking about Western Europe and Eastern Europe. The Caucasus is historically more tied to West Asia and is only geographically Europe based on some controversial criteria.

[@1OOOOpeople]

This was a great talk, sir, you have me convinced.

[@Rhodri101283]

I’ve recently stumbled upon the concept of rewilding, and having read George’s superb book on the subject - Feral - I’ve never been so ecologically inspired. I’m not sure I share George’s views around reintroducing megafauna such as elephants and rhino, but there is absolutely no barrier to mammals such as beaver and birds such as white tailed eagles to our ecosystems in the UK. I’m intrigued to see how this project develops, particularly ‘Summit to Sea’ in Mid Wales which is practically in George’s back yard.

[@wildmatters8578]

One of the best speech ever

[@nl4064]

this is the best rewild talk I have heard to date. It should be in every school

[@thomaslester6173]

I could listen to George lecture on the chemistry of interior surface pigment dehydration, and still be captivated...

[@stephenkirk1024]

Absolutely fascinating!!

[@dusan19377]

I know for sure there were lions in Balkan peninsula. There are scripts that say that Alexander the Great had many losses in his soldiers numbers fighting the lions on his trip trough South Balkan peninsula. And one historian in Serbia claim he found scripts that say that Balkan lions were all killed to extinction in 3rd century. :) I would like to have lands rewilded with wild cows, buffalo, lynx... :)

[@BlackSailPass_GuitarCovers]

How would we convince our politicians to consider something like Re-wilding, let alone go through with it? It would entail setting aside large tracts of land, which then become economically unproductive. Farmers would have to find somewhere else to graze their livestock, which would impact on the prices of milk and meat; the re-introduction of carnivorous predators would pose a safety risk, both to livestock, and to people. The initial costs of large-scale Re-wilding projects are likely to be substantial; there is no obvious financial payoff for doing this. Plus, most people will see it as 'crazy green nonsense'. What economic incentive can anyone suggest that may cause a policy U-turn such as this? The only one I can think of is putting an arbitrary financial value on ecosystem services (Natural Capital), which might then generate wealth as plant and animal biodiversity/Carbon sequestration rates increase. Getting this enforced would be problematic. It would be seen as a massive block to economic progress, right when all of our politicians are trumpetting 'return to growth' propaganda. Until we (collectively) start valuing ecosystems in their own right, Re-wilding will never happen. It would be political suicide to suggest it. We need a paradigm shift - and fast. Discuss.

[@RamkumarPerumal-Ram]

PairInstabilityType Humans *do not* need to eat meat and *do not* need dairy either. Livestock operations occupy about 45% of the land area in the US, and globally they occupy anywhere from 34 to 45% of the land area (including the land used to grow animal feed). Eating plant-based food would require only a fraction of this land to produce healthy, nutritious food for all people in adequate amounts, while using much less water and creating much, much less pollution. You are right when you say, _"Farmers would have to find somewhere else to graze their livestock, which would impact on the prices of milk and meat; the re-introduction of carnivorous predators would pose a safety risk, both to livestock, and to people..."_. It is IMPOSSIBLE to carry out the kind of re-wilding that George Monbiot is talking about while continuing with the livestock operations at this scale (and it is projected to grow, as demand increases worldwide). So those who want to see wilderness return must push for a worldwide switch to a plant-based diet. Farmers and ranchers who raise livestock will have to be compensated, of course, and helped with transitioning to other kinds of farming or other means of livelihood.

[@kriste949]

+PairInstabilityType We can start in our backyards and frontyards!

[@Longboard914]

+Ramkumar Perumal Actually, eggs are less resource intensive than chickpeas. And eventually synthetic fertilizers will run out, and crops will need manure and blood-meal and bone-meal once again. Eating a place-based diet is the way

[@guerreiro943]

"What economic incentive can anyone suggest that may cause a policy U-turn such as this?" - Hmm I'm guessing safaris? Like they do in Africa. I imagine it would be quite good for tourism.

[@codiandtherobot]

We'll need something radical to save us all from farmers like the Resnicks. Just saying man...we're on our way to finding ourselves in mad max. I don't know about you but that doesn't sound... nice.

[@deelove6899]

Lovely! Really impressed with the way you can relate complex biodiversity we get from whales, wolves.

[@scrumptiousjdp]

Brilliant!

[@SeanSmith73]

Wonderful presentation.

[@MediaSock]

This man speaks the truth, I know it when I hear it, he is inspiring.

[@xsuntrec]

Brilliant man ! I'm taking this to Egypt

[@nickjoeb]

I agree with these ideas so much.

[@danielle2781]

Incredible

[@SuzanneTaylorSUESpeaks]

George is the best!

[@bulgabulga8182]

An ounce of hope is worth a tons of despair

[@spinklerook108]

So this has 150k views....just watched another fairly vacuous TED talk on procrastination with 18.6M. This is what's wrong with the world........one thing of many I guess :/ ....read Monbiot's book "Feral" if you liked this vid and haven't already btw!

[@LastBref]

I love George Monbiot. Great writer for The Guardian newspaper.

[@readigo]

"...elephants"

[@jimenapiafernandez2786]

[@thirdmantube]

Love it!

[@richardhughes-moseley6601]

Monbiot is a monumental Bell end.

[@jane9875]

theres a little scrap of untouched foresty land behind my local coop amazing how much wildlife iI see on it when I'm walking my dog

[@vincelovecchio1776]

Wonderful presentation and concept, but the sad and unfortunate truth of the matter is that our Indigenous brothers and sisters have been trying to tell us every bit of what George spoke about for the past century or two.....

[@CAREHRM]

good thinking

[@lyndaschroeder8117]

Thank you so much. Wonderful. We need to rewild farming i.e. Cover crops, rotations, etc. very possible. We did it. Would help co2 problem and we would become healthier.

[@his_laughing_heart]

Awesome.

[@darkvoid86]

With the way in which he weaves language, I could listen to him former hours.

[@SamTheoAwesome]

The positives certainly outweigh the negatives from that evidence, what makes it better is that rewilding is already happening by people more so than governments in some of the most developed countries, what an amazing talk, there is hope, less far from home than one might think.

[@johnnyloco11]

This is an inspiring talk, we need change in Britain. Too much land owned by the few.

[@kraygus]

Best TED for ages. Project megafauna, go!

[@statickevin]

This is amazing. Now I want to go into palaeoecology.

[@jane1044]

May it be so.

[@christabelwilson2671]

A M reading Monbiot's latest book 'Regenesis' . Fabulous writer, fabulous content.

[@AndrewEadonJones]

Absolutely in my estimation based on this and lots of reading at University the way mankind needs to go.

[@johnpeters2650]

Breaks my heart that the video is like 6 years old and nothing has changed. But hey, maybe coronavirus gonna help

[@boneycheeeze8234]

Actually things are changing. Rewilding is taking place in many parts of the world. Australia, Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia all have rewilding programs that are gaining traction. Whale popularions are getting closer to their historical populations and many parts of the ocean are on their way to becoming protected marine reserves. However thats not say that their are still some parts of the world that things are getting worse but in a more general aspect humanity's going in a better direction. :)

[@reforest4fertility]

@@boneycheeeze8234 Yes, Africa has its Green Belt Movement. China used its military to plant its Great Green Wall, but still the OP here is right, cuz nothing has commenced on the scale needed to avert climate chaos. Maybe y'all think this is about wildlife habitat, but while forests are the primary home for wildlife, forests stabilize climate & that's just what's needed to avert climate chaos. OFC, a cessation of petrol use too. Reforestation also, BTW, will restore nature's hydrology, meaning it will boost continental fresh water reserves steadily, as forestation is continued, to meet increasing demand. Then there's the carbon sequestration aspect that would prevent carbon from slipping into the oceans, as forests are nature's carbon sink, not oceans. Reforestation is one of the best things we can do for the oceans.

[@hellfirepictures]

Wow. What a powerful speech. Educational, motivational......... LOVE it. George Monbiot - if you read this - I need a job and would love to come and work with you :D

[@bentepronk7167]

great, now i have to write a summary on this for bio

[@Aethuviel]

Aaron M - We killed those species off, not nature. Wolves, aurochs, european bison, big cats in Europe, mammoths, wild horses, we killed them off. (And many, many more.)

[@PeterFaletto]

our government introduced mange to kill them... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_wolves_in_Yellowstone

[@calypso9892]

Biologically we are nature, but I get your point.

[@tmrmilano]

we are nature, but we do not work with it, but in opposition to it, trying to control and change it. We are the only species does that. Which makes one wonder just how great an evolutionary development the human brain is…?

[@rorymarsh4095]

Natural*, not 'Nature'.

[@BjornSvenson]

What "elephant adapted" trees is he referring to specifically, does anyone know? I live near to Epping Forest in London and I'm wondering if I can see any this evidence of megafauna around there.

[@Skylark_Jones]

👏👏👏 really really interesting. What a great story! I started to picture it. PS Not sure about lions roaming about on the doorstep though😆

[@szkielet137]

I recommend Monbiot's books.

[@northcacalacka545]

My College professor once told the class I was attending that, "Long after man is gone from this earth, the earth will still be here with life on it". I agreed! I also thought to myself that the earth is the one that will get rid of the humans. The way I see it, we are just tenants on a lease that will definitely expire.

[@bluedick321]

A historical speech, it all falls into place now.

[@stephenscaife9993]

Just inspiring speech , kids need to be taught this at school. In order to save the planet. Please George take your words to School!

[@releventhurt]

It’s been ted talk now it’s ted action!

[@FairCityWrestling]

I love this man with all of my soul. Rewilding should be worldwide legislation

[@olexburks]

I think some people confuse rewilding and species reintroduction. Reintroduction is the second stage of rewilding, but the first stage is land abandonment (conservation). Rewilding will not have any prospects in future if we want only to increase the number of animals on small, limited and fragmented ecosystems. First of all, rewilding needs living space i.e. land. Today the main task of rewilding is to return large area of anthropogenic landscapes (croplands, deforested areas, quaries and etc.) to wilderness. This will be real ecosystem restoration.

[@WendyKeenan]

Can't wait for the raucous summer!

[@gruffygrazer203]

It's worth noting that Chalk Downland habitat harbours some of the greatest biodiversity found in the world, often described as European rainforest. Up to 40 species of plant in a single square metre, which cascade benefits to other fauna. The UK itself has around 50% of the worlds Chalk Grasslands. Since the continuous settlement of humans in the UK, the vast swathes of Chalk Grasslands present for most of this time, were created and maintained as a man-made, waste product of people farming the land extensively with sheep. Sheep were introduced to the UK by humans and their grazing behaviours, as an alpine grazing animal, created an artificial alpine environment for species rich Chalk Downland.

[@velvetindigonight]

Yep they eat saplings too! Annoyingly most mutton is sold abroad now so why?

[@PleaseRemainStanding]

As a depressive skeptic, I need to see some data in order to begin accepting your claim. Do you have a reference for your scientific claim that chalk grassland has some of the highest biodiversity - in both species richness and abundance above and below ground in the word? Do you similarly have comparative figures for other ecosystems in the U.K. and the world? I would accept an academic review, evidentiary synthesis or meta-analysis from reputable scientific journals, ideally with high impact factor or citation index. I would not accept blogs, partisan news articles or websites with vested interests [including environmentalist ones such as greenpeace or ER] precisely for the reason that their mandate is to pander to the political lobby they represent rather than to assimilate and objectively present scientific evidence. Thank you for your help. Ta.

[@sandraainsley2163]

Rewilding is the answer to a very complicated question. The earth needs a chance to self regulate. This truth will set us free.

[@tinylinkCC]

Move to Australia. Got attacked by Magpie while cycling down road yesterday, a gentle reminder that spring is here, every september they protect their new born in nest. Much less mindless people with heads in idevice, more mindfulness, which is good because there's much more good than bad to notice. Happier people, face to face communication and excitement, all from a single vicious magpie. Now, to unleash the lions at the shopping mall.

[@colinh9813]

Wow!!!

[@SatishGandhi]

Nice study, now its our turn to make earth natural world.

[@nupurnishant6911]

I was just waiting to hear something about what he thinks about the Gaia Hypothesis.

[@salahhe]

5 minutes into this video I want to get some wolves myself. They seem like the greatest thing on earth.

[@quinnjin2]

They usually go hand in hand..; )

[@TheSteezyCheese]

Hmm, bit suspicious of the conclusions that the wolves changed the rivers. Not enough time has passed for me for him to be coming to the conclusion.

[@Saaf62]

It should be noted that when the early settlers 'discovered' America, and it's majestic old growth forests, they were not looking at a 'Wild' landscape, but one carefully cultivated by the indigenous population. Rewilding should not need to mean stacking humans on top of each other in cities and leaving the country side to it's own devices. There are ways for us all to live closer to nature, get back to learning how to grow food, but spreading out so that we actually would have less impact.

[@00777marcus]

Super

[@lifestyleblend3291]

One thing that people often forget about population dynamics especially when considering human populations is that it is healthy for populations to decrease/ level off. Humans cannot continue growing at such an exponential rate. 'Science' will not simply provide a magic bullet for overpopulation and starvation however nature over time will provide its own solutions. 'Science' has no obligation to attempt to maintain populations of 7bn, 20bn or 100bn.

[@Sawaelo]

Bring back the big ones!

[@thomasstarkey8238]

Corley lives life to the maxx

[@highlyvurgultis3706]

Megafauna is actually pretty common, the term refers to any animal that weighs 40kg or more.

[@SuperAtheist]

You know what I don't miss about lions? Getting eaten by a lion!! I think it's nice to not have to worry about that. . .

[@LeonidasGGG]

This is an amazing Talk, but some slides would have made it more engaging and visually understanding.

[@igorkrupitsky]

Life in the civilized world is not exiting enough. We should bring back wolfs, lions, tigers, rhinos and maybe even smallpox, cholera and plaque. My grandma once told me a story of her classmate from her village eaten by a wolf pack on the way to school. So I prefer the comfort of the civilization.

[@louisvictor3473]

In properly designed cities, these animals usually stay way. Except when the city leaves them too little space. Like the deer abandon areas where it has more problems with the animals higher on the food chain, so does the lions and the hypos. Those animals are also territorial, so they don't need to be reintroduced right at your neighbourhood to cause some good.

[@peterjeong]

Sounds like wild at heart by john Eldridge.

[@DieRedo]

YEAH !

[@ultimabass101]

!?!?! I have been thinking about this since i was little... Its about time we give back what we have taken. Live with nature, not against it. When will people understand the importance of every life on the planet ?

[@Srekwah]

Chicago and Detroit have been re-wilded.

[@calypso9892]

I don't agree with all his views, but this was a good talk.

[@99wubar]

Did anyone else get a Dairy UK advert before this video?

[@TyrantkingX9]

Great Concept, but only when Humanity can check its own progress will can the concept be established.

[@TrentRidley]

+Nevin Temple Our definition of progress is the problem.

[@amishahahahahaha]

Ok I'm here reading the book

[@HigherPlanes]

Yeah I know, sometimes I get sucked in without even realizing it. Anyway, you might wanna check out the movie I Am. That's where the quote came from. Ran out of characters to give credit to Tom Shadyac