What is Rewilding?

• This short video clip from a longer episode on rewilding discusses the cascading negative effects of local extinction and the potential positive impacts of reintroducing keystone species.
• The video defines and describes the terms trophic cascade and keystone species.
• The narrator describes a tropic cascade example in which cougars were threatened in a park in Utah, leading to the flourishing of deer populations and the subsequent detriment of greenery and animals that rely on that vegetation.
• There is an article below the video that introduces the idea of rewilding, or using the tools of nature to heal itself, and it includes many links to resources that explore rewilding topics.

Positives

• The video has an overall hopeful tone, with the narrator describing the potential for repairing damaged ecosystems by reintroducing keystone species.
• The interactive graphics help to visualize the concept of a trophic cascade.
• The provided links are comprehensive and can serve as a launchpad for further exploring rewilding.

Additional Prerequisites

• Students should be familiar with the concept of food chains.
• Students should know some basic ecological terms such as species, ecosystem, food chain, and habitat.

Differentiation

• Before watching the video, ask students to explain wild animals then guess what it may mean to rewild.
• Be sure students understand the concept of a trophic cascade by drawing multiple examples of food chains on the board and then discussing what could happen if certain species' populations increase or decrease.
• Consider having students pick an example of rewilding as a nature-based solution and have them make an artistic poster to present their findings.
• Explore different examples of the reintroduction efforts of keystone species and the effects they have on the whole ecosystem.

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.