MARCH 15 ― In the 1950s, construction carried out at the iconic Trafalgar Square in Central London revealed something unexpected. The remains of large animals (or what biologists call megafauna) including a cave lion, a rhinoceros, a straight-tusked elephant and a hippopotamus were unearthed.

Who would have thought that one of the most bustling areas in London today was once was the home of such majestic creatures 400,000 years ago?

This discovery, albeit some time in the past, continues to fuel debate on “rewilding”, a buzzword in the world of conservation for the past decade. The idea of rewilding is simple ― to bring back plants or animals that have once roamed our lands.

With the return of such wildlife, it is argued that past natural processes that are crucial to the ecosystem will be restored.

Although this idea has yet to catch on in Asia, there have been several rewilding success stories from the West including the Rewilding Europe and Rewilding Britain movements.

Wolves of Yellowstone

None is more poignant than the wolves of Yellowstone National Park. When the park was gazetted in 1872, it was obvious that the wolves were already in decline. When further tipped by government predator control measures, they became locally extinct in the mid-1920s.

The absence of wolves, an apex predator, led to an imbalance in the food web; an imbalance that resulted in the drastic increase of elk and coyote numbers. The former very quickly overgrazed most of the woody tree species in the park while the latter adversely impacted the pronghorn antelope population. This eventually culminated in the 1995 release of 41 Canadian wolves to the Yellowstone landscape.

The move marked a watershed moment in conservation as the return of the wolves reinvigorated the complex ecosystem of Yellowstone National Park. Considering most introductions of wildlife by humans almost always result in an ecological disaster, like the cane toad in Australia, this one was hailed as a success. Aside from keeping elk and coyote numbers at bay, the knock-on benefits of the reintroduction were remarkable!

A reduction in overgrazing allowed more willow trees to mature, leading to an increase in the population of beavers that rely on these very trees to survive the winter. The beavers then build more dams which counter river bank erosion, thus providing habitat diversity for otters, minks and waterfowl. Wolves, being messy eaters, also provide food for a myriad of scavengers including ravens, wolverines and eagles.

The long list of ecological benefits following the reintroduction of this apex predator goes on. Perhaps reasons for this release albeit unnatural could also be simply sound economics... Without the wolves, huge amounts of money would have been spent in ecological management to allow the propagation of other species that attract an estimated 4 million visitors to the park annually.

Rewilding in Malaysia?

Now, could the concept of rewilding be applied in Malaysia? The notion of rewilding indicates that the species in question would have to be first lost or at least placed into one of the many extinction categories.

Most recently, the Sumatran Rhinoceros was declared ecologically and locally extinct in Sabah and Malaysia at large. The announcement meant that although these rhinoceros are survived by several individuals in captivity and that populations of the same species exist elsewhere (in this case Sumatra), it is unlikely that the wild populations in Malaysia could regenerate from its current condition. This represents a shortage in the services provided by the species that could include seed dispersal in the ecosystem.

So instead of pointing fingers at the culprits, could this be an opportunity for rewilding in the future? Indeed there have been discussions concerning these rhinoceros about incorporating in-vitro fertilization and breeding with populations in Sumatra. Once the numbers bounce back, I have hopes that these awe-inspiring creatures could be returned to the wild for the restoration of processes lost in their absence.

Another species declared locally extinct relatively recently is the leatherback turtle. These majestic grand piano-sized animals used to come up to the beaches of Terengganu to lay their eggs. Rantau Abang once was the largest egg-laying site for leatherbacks in the world at an astonishing 10,000 nests per year. Sadly due to an over-exploitation of these eggs as a local delicacy and warming temperatures leading to a sexual skew towards more female individuals, the Malaysian population no longer exists.

Since these turtles feed almost exclusively on jellyfish, this loss would probably lead to more jellyfish blooms on the east coast. How could this be remedied, you might ask? As with the rhino populations in Sumatra, leatherback populations in the Caribbean Sea remain healthy. Hence, it is theoretically possible to transplant individuals to make up a new South China Sea population.

A good student of biology would then point out that turtles are animals that carry out natal homing. This term describes the behaviour of animals that return to their birthplace to reproduce and in the case of turtles ― lay eggs.

However, an exciting technique called head-starting could potentially change that. In a nutshell, this involves eggs being collected elsewhere and quickly transferred to the targeted beach at which the hatchlings can imprint on. A 50 year study of Kemp Ridley turtle head-starting in Texas concluded that the juveniles will return to their surrogate beaches thus allowing such populations to rebound from extinction.

What can rewilding mean to us?

Rewilding as a concept does not have to always involve megafauna. It can instead take many forms. Since it is desirable to restore past ecological processes, efforts to make urban spaces greener can be seen as a form of rewilding as well.

More importantly, it is a process that everyone can play an active role in. Grow a garden, put out a bird feed, or campaign for more green spaces in your neighbourhood. These simple measures will allow wildlife to seek refuge amidst our urban jungles.

The theme for World Wildlife Day this year is “the future of wildlife is in our hands.” Rewilding as a radical but timely concept could constitute part of this call to action. Small interventions followed by Nature deciding what is best and perhaps then the rewinding, not only of ecosystems, but also of our hearts and minds can take place.

*This article was written by an Associate Editor from CEKU, the editorial arm of the United Kingdom and Eire Council of Malaysian Students (UKEC).

**This is the personal opinion of the columnist.