The Vulnerable Bison: Practices and Meanings of Rewilding in the Romanian Carpathians

Biodiversity and Climate-Regulating Functions of Forests: Current Issues and Research Prospects

“…European bison (Bison bonasus) was an aedificator of forest ecosystems throughout almost the entire Holocene (Kalyakin, Turubanova, 2004;Cromsigt et al, 2018;Vasile et al, 2018;Lord et al, 2020). This species, together with other gregarious ungulates, created semi-open and open habitats in forests, formed highly productive pastures, fertilising the soil, and also ensured the stable existence of light-demanding flora (Smirnova, 2004;Shevchenko, 2016).…”

For wilderness or wildness? Decolonising rewilding

“…As noted by Vasile (2018) the characterisation of Rewilding Europe as a 'wilderness spectacular' may actually be at odds with the reality of rewilding in Europe on the ground, which is founded on notions of 'wildness' and ecological surprises, rather than wilderness creation. In particular, the introduction of autonomous grazing herbivores, pivotal to European landscapes, may also come with 'wild consequences' not palatable to the tourists seeking the emotional wonders of wilderness as identified presented in promotional devices of Rewilding Europe (Tanasescu 2017).…”

“…One 'wild consequence' of rewilding can be seen during the severe winter of 2010 at OVP, where images of starving animals provoked national outrage at the moral implications of allowing animals to live autonomous lives (ICMO2 2010). In the context of Rewilding Europe this tension is encapsulated by Vasile (2018) who explores the ethical tensions for local people in negotiating their behaviour towards introduced Bison in the Romanian Carpathians, as well as the Rewilders themselves. In 2016, two years after reintroduction, four of the 30 reintroduced bison were found dead and an evaluation by the team identified the cause to 'a mixture of weakness, natural selection and predation by feral dogs' (Vasile 2018: 22).…”

“…Vasile's research also indicates that the introduction of grazing herbivores in the form of Tauros cattle on communal lands is well liked by locals, mainly because of the animals' aesthetic charisma 3 (2018). However Vasile (2018) also documents that there was also resistance within some sections of the community to the Tauros; for fear of the 'wild unknown'. This fear of 'wildness' and uncertainty has been documented in relation to other reintroduction initiatives, particularly in relation to biosecurity concerns of agricultural communities (Buller 2008;) and it will be important for Rewilders to meaningfully engage with and understand local fear narratives in relation to human-wildlife conflict rising from the autonomous character of rewilded animals.…”

Tourism and rewilding: an introduction – definition, issues and review

“…Despite the crucial role of tourism in providing an economic justification for rewilding (Feldman, 2011;Hall, 2015;Tanasescu, 2017) and de-extinction (Richmond, Sinding, & Gilbert, 2016;Whittle et al, 2015), usually via the reintroduction of charismatic megafauna (DeSilvey & Bartolini, 2019;Donlan et al, 2006;Jepson, Schepers, & Helmer, 2018;Vasile, 2018;Wolf & Ripple, 2018;Zamboni, Di Martino, & Jiménez-Pérez, 2017), there is surprisingly little directly written about tourism and rewilding with ecotourism and nature-based tourism usually being regarded as a surrogate for tourism to rewilded areas (Brown et al, 2011;Prior & Ward, 2016;Procter, 2014). Indeed, Cloyd (2016) makes the significant observation that rather than the human presence being dismissed within sites of rewilding, tourism reveals just how embedded humans are shaping 'wild' places.…”