Scottish school kids discover Europe’s wild side from their classrooms

A free resource pack for a rewilding lesson plan, for students 14+, is now available for download in English and Gaelic.

Schoolchildren across Scotland are journeying across wilder Europe without leaving the classroom this year, using a lesson plan developed by the Scottish Rewilding Alliance. 

The unique lesson plan is available in both English and Scottish Gaelic. The activities developed by the Scottish Rewilding Alliance encourage students to understand what is meant by rewilding, explore examples of large-scale nature restoration in mainland Europe and consider how we might take a similar approach here.

The lesson plan includes the trailer for the documentary Why Not Scotland?. Released earlier this year, the film accompanies Flo, a young Scot from Glasgow, as she seeks out examples of nature recovery around Europe. Through the new lesson plan, students are invited to follow Flo on her journey and explore the impact of rewilding projects on wildlife and humans. 

The lesson plan is part of the Alliance’s Rewilding Nation campaign, calling on the Scottish Government to declare Scotland the world’s first Rewilding Nation, with nature recovery taking place across 30% of the country.

The Rewilding Nation campaign has already been backed by Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio.

“This lesson plan is an amazing opportunity for teachers and students to engage with current discussions about rewilding in Scotland today, in both English and Gaelic,” said Karen Blackport, Scottish Rewilding Alliance Co-Convenor and Chief Executive of Bright Green Nature.

“Scotland’s biodiversity loss has diminished our ability to tackle the climate and nature emergencies. Restoring our precious natural world offers hope for nature, climate and people, and equipping the next generation with the knowledge and skills to meet these challenges is essential.”

Currently less than 3% of Scotland’s land and less than 1% of its seas are rewilding, according to analysis carried out by the Scottish Rewilding Alliance, a coalition of more than 20 organisations. 

Rewilding 30% of Scotland can be achieved by restoring habitats including peatlands, native woodlands, wetlands, rivers and seas, while maintaining and benefitting productive farmland, it says.

The Rewilding Nation Charter at www.rewild.scot/charter, calling on the Government to declare Scotland a rewilding nation, has already been signed by thousands of people.

Charter signatory Roger from Largs, one of thousands who has signed the Rewilding Nation Charter, said: “We need to show our children and grandchildren the profusion of wildlife that should surround them as they grow up. Rewilding places like peat bogs and forests will also help to defeat the twin problem of climate change and nature loss.”

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