Wilder of the Year: Highlights of 2025 from the European Wildlife Reinstatement Fund

Funding for the return of keystone species

The European Wildlife Reintroduction Fund (EWCF), launched in 2022 by Rewilding Europe, was created to scale up the reintroduction of wildlife of key species across Europe, delivering lasting benefits to ecosystems, climate resilience and local communities. Last year we made significant progress, supporting the recovery of numerous species in landscapes where they had long been absent or existed in very low numbers.

Wildlife reintroductions are inherently complex and timing is nearly impossible to predict. Procuring an animal can take a long time, and once the animal is secured, everything can move quickly. This makes adaptive and responsive financing a valuable tool. EWCF is designed to address precisely these challenges, providing the type of support needed to transform ambitions for sustainable wildlife recovery across the continent. “The fund is a flexible tool to support the final stages of migration,” says Sophie Monsarrat, Rewilding Landscapes Manager at Rewilding Europe. “With our support, we are targeting situations where the introduction of keystone species will have the greatest impact on wild nature.”

The return of animals such as the European bison has become an iconic example of rewilding efforts, but it is not just their size but their ecological role that defines keystone species. From eagles and hamsters to taurus, horses and trout, the disproportionate impact these species have on their habitats is vital to ecosystems across Europe. EWCF is driving wildlife revival across the continent by supporting the return of a wide range of wildlife.

In 2025, EWCF supported 23 reintroduction schemes targeting 19 species in 9 countries across Europe. Since its launch, the fund has invested more than €3 million in wildlife recovery, with almost €1 million allocated for 2025 alone. The stories below offer a selection of various highlights from 2025.

european bison

Although bison have made a remarkable comeback from the brink of extinction, it is their remarkable impact on the landscape that is now the focus of rewilding efforts. Through grazing, browsing, and trampling, bison open up dense vegetation, creating a mosaic of grasslands and forests. Their presence also helps sequester significant amounts of carbon while contributing to nutrient cycling and soil fertility.

In 2025, Rewilding Europe, through EWCF, supported the translocation of four bison from Spain, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, and Azerbaijan, resulting in a total of 39 bison. The release of nine bison into 400 hectares of public forest in the Iberian Plateau led by Rewilding Spain has been warmly welcomed by the El Recuenco council and residents. For local communities, bison are a transformative element to the landscape, creating new opportunities, jobs and income while helping reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires.

Bulgaria’s Rhodope Mountains have had free-roaming bison since 2019, and efforts have recently been focused on expanding their range into a 3,800-hectare habitat called Zhenda. With support from EWCF, Rewilding Rhodopes released eight bison here with the goal of increasing the population to at least 50 animals. Additional grants were used in the Maashorst, Veluwe and Kraansvlak nature reserves in the Netherlands, where four bison bulls were brought in from Poland by PWN and FREE Nature to improve the genetic diversity of existing herds. EWCF funding also supported the latest chapter in the return of the Azerbaijani bison, led by Tierpark Berlin and WWF Azerbaijan. In early 2026, 18 bison were released, bringing the total population in Shadag National Park to around 90. This species has been missing from the region for over 100 years.

gray eagle

Eagles are nature’s cleansers and play an irreplaceable role in the cycle of life. The largest vulture in Europe, the Great Vulture specializes in tearing apart large carcasses. This gives them access to a variety of scavengers and decomposers, from foxes and other vulture species to insects and microorganisms. Together they effectively return nutrients to local ecosystems while reducing the risk of disease spread to wildlife, livestock and people.

Once ranging from Portugal to the Mongolian steppes, today most film vultures reside in Spain. This makes the health and viability of these populations critical to enabling future reintroductions across Europe. In 2025, EWCF supported GREFA to release 10 movie vultures in Els Ports and 6 more in Sierra de la Demanda. These releases serve a wider purpose in addition to strengthening local populations. Through GREFA’s partnership with Rewilding Europe, the Iberian Peninsula is becoming the staging ground for future reintroduction plans, including the Rhodope Mountains and Central Apennines.

european hamster

Despite their small size, European hamsters punch well above their weight in prairie restoration. They help improve soil fertility and spread seeds throughout the prairies, and their burrows create habitat for many other species. Hamsters are also important prey for a variety of birds and mammals. It plays an important role in the food chain of the wilder prairies.

Based on Rewilding Ukraine’s ongoing reintroduction program, 100 European hamsters were released into the Tarutino Steppe in southwestern Ukraine in 2025. This is the largest single release since the program began in 2022, bringing the total number released to the prairie to nearly 130. The Tarutino Steppes are one of the best examples of intact European steppes and the reintroduction of hamsters, along with the return of kulans, fallow deer and steppe marmots, are part of wider efforts to restore natural processes in the ecosystem.

taurus and horse

Historically, large herbivores such as aurochs and wild horses maintained semi-open woodlands throughout Europe, creating diverse habitats by grazing, browsing and trampling. Because most of these species are long gone, restoring functionally similar animals brings back their dynamism by acting as natural fire brigade, promoting natural regeneration, enhancing biodiversity, promoting carbon storage, and more. As one of the most cost-effective nature-based solutions, scaling up natural grazing is becoming increasingly urgent, especially in the Mediterranean region where the threat of extreme wildfires continues to increase.

EWCF supported Portugal’s rewilding efforts by releasing 21 Tauros and 14 semi-wild horses into Ermo das Águias, a rewilding area in Portugal’s Greater Côa Valley, and supported Fundació Miranda, which released six semi-wild horses into Garraf Natural Park near Barcelona. Perhaps most notably, Rewilding Spain partnered with the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha to celebrate the landmark moment of introducing six of Przewalski’s horses to the La Campana estate. This is the first grazing within a protected area of ​​the Iberian Plateau.

brown trout

Brown trout play an influential role as both predator and prey. But its importance has grown even further. Freshwater pearl mussel larvae attach harmlessly to the gills of trout and migrate upstream. Once established upstream, mussels filter and improve water quality for other aquatic life. In this way, the two species are deeply intertwined. When trout disappear from the river, mussels can no longer reproduce and eventually disappear. Restoring brown trout populations creates a ripple effect of recovery throughout the entire aquatic ecosystem.

In 2025, EWCF, in collaboration with Rewilding Sweden and the Skellefteå municipality, supported the stocking of approximately 250,000 brown trout fry into three tributaries of the Rickleå River in northern Sweden. This builds on the initial launch the previous year and represents an important next step in the long-term effort that sustained wildlife recovery requires. The effort is part of a broader river restoration plan that will return rocks, gravel and sand to waterways through canals where industrial timber has been floating for decades. As trout populations recover, pearl mussels are expected to naturally repopulate.

Why the return of wild animals is important

The benefits of scaling up wildlife return extend far beyond nature itself. Recovering wildlife populations could play a critical role in keeping global temperatures below the 1.5°C threshold, and reintroductions are key to accelerating and extending these benefits, according to research published in Nature Climate Change. By restoring the health and function of entire ecosystems, the return of wildlife allows nature to once again play a full role in the Earth’s carbon cycle. It is through the reintroduction of keystone species that this knowledge is translated into action.

EWCF’s work falls within this larger context, but its impact depends on continued support. Sophie Monsarrat recalls: “The Fund makes a real difference by providing support where it is needed most. This is only possible through generous donations. We are proud of the role it has played in scaling up reinforcements and reintroductions across Europe following its launch in 2022. The return of wild species requires a long-term commitment to impact the future.”

call to action

Reintroducing wildlife from start to finish is not an easy task. Timing is everything and funding does not always coincide with the moment an animal is ready to be released. Rewilding Europe recognizes this and developed the EWCF to turn viable wildlife reinstatement plans into reality.

EWCF is open to applications from organizations working to reintroduce keystone species across Europe. Funding is flexible and immediate, and applicants are encouraged to be ambitious about the scale of their emissions. This is because the continued recovery of wildlife depends on populations ultimately being self-sufficient without further intervention.

If your organization is working toward that goal, please consider applying for a grant. If you want to support the recovery of nature across Europe, the European Wildlife Restoration Fund offers a way to join this effort. Find funding, partnership or donation options through our support page.

The European Wildlife Reinstatement Fund is made possible through financial support from: Arcadia, environmental sustainability, Ecological Restoration Fund, National Postcode LotteryPrivate donations.