Galway has been chosen as one of eight European sites for the new €8.5 million ‘wildE’ rewilding project.
Funded by Horizon Europe, this scheme is to develop climate-smart rewilding as a nature-based solution to the twin threats of climate change and biodiversity loss in eight sites across Europe.
In Ireland, the wildE initiative will take place on lands in the Connemara Bog Complex of Galway, which covers a total of 49,000 hectares.
This project will cover two main areas of degraded blanket bog of 155ha and 62ha each, private land within Ireland’s largest wind farm, the Galway Wind Park (GWP).
The Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics is a wildE research partner and will provide advanced data analytics techniques to support the project.
Their restoration will improve the nationally important wintering area of the Greenland white fronted goose and increase the connectivity of the natural areas within the surrounding region.
Rewilding is an approach to landscape management with an emphasis on allowing ecosystems to evolve with little to no human intervention.
Until now the approach has mostly been limited to local conservation initiatives without a systematic approach or broader consideration.
Climate-smart rewilding as developed by wildE aims to overcome these barriers by taking a more holistic approach that considers climatic, economic and societal challenges.
Project lead Niall Ó’Brolcháin of the Insight Centre, a partner in the project, said, that they will be working with University of Galway to, “Examine ways to improve biodiversity and reduce carbon loss at Ireland’s largest wind farm the Galway Wind Park over the next four years.”
“Based on ecological data collected during the project the Insight SFI Research Centre will use advanced data analytics techniques to build evidence-based policy recommendations for EU and national policies.”
