Building on the remarkable recovery of wild nature

Luca Melcarne

Building on the remarkable recovery of wild nature

One of France’s most spectacular natural areas

Nelleke de Weerd

One of France’s most spectacular natural areas

An Alpine biodiversity hotspot

Nelleke de Weerd

An Alpine biodiversity hotspot

Herbivores, carnivores, and scavengers are playing their role in nature again

Luca Melcarne

Herbivores, carnivores, and scavengers are playing their role in nature again

Landscape overview

The Dauphiné Alps rewilding landscape covers approximately 500,000 hectares between the cities of Grenoble, Montélimar, and Gap. This area is characterised by diverse landscapes, ranging from Mediterranean vegetation to alpine zones, with vast swathes of forest and semi-wooded heathland, as well as mountain meadows, numerous cliffs, and some of the most important braided river sections in France.

The landscape encompasses several iconic protected areas, such as the largest nature reserve in France on the Vercors Highlands, which also hosts one of the country’s largest biological reserves. Several properties have been acquired by departmental councils and other public and private actors to conserve and restore biodiversity.

The Vercors and Baronnies Provençales regional natural parks, local authorities, the National Forest Office, and other organisations play key roles in a context where nature is seen as a regional asset.

 

The dramatic recovery of wild nature

Wild nature has made a spectacular comeback in the Dauphiné Alps in recent decades. A wide range of vegetation now covers the slopes of the mountains and hills. Forests, heathlands, and grasslands form a mosaic that hosts an increasingly abundant and diverse array of wildlife and plants.

The goodwill of stakeholders has played a critical role in the return of large animals. Starting in the 1960s, the National Forest Office and hunters reintroduced red deer and carried out various operations benefiting chamois, marmots, and other species. Hunting management plans have allowed their populations to continue expanding. More recent reintroductions include the Alpine ibex (1989) and vultures (1996), both of which were successful and appreciated by local communities.

Taking advantage of the richer and more abundant wild nature, other species have returned of their own accord. In 2018, the Vercors Regional Natural Park became one of the first regional parks in France to develop and adopt an action plan for promoting co-existence with wolves, which naturally recolonised the area in the 1990s.

This positive trend has helped elevate the profile of the region as a wildlife hotspot and boosted its appeal. Tourism provides livelihoods for many local families (hotels, restaurants, transport, guides, etc.). The quality of life and access to nature are attracting new residents, helping to transform the socio-economic outlook for the area.

 

Why the Dauphiné Alps?

Like many areas in France and Europe, the Dauphiné Alps have experienced rural depopulation since the 19th century, leading to less agriculture, recolonisation by forests, and the return of wild animals. This remarkable transformation presents an opportunity to further revitalise the region through an inclusive rewilding initiative that draws on the power of recovering nature to tackle our ecological and climate crises, and foster socio-economic innovation that delivers wide-ranging socio-economic benefits to residents.

This opportunity emerged following a consultation and stakeholder engagement process initiated in 2022. A steering committee involving several local authorities supported Rewilding France and Rewilding Europe in assessing the region’s needs and expectations regarding wild nature, including interviews with over 80 stakeholders in 2023 and 2024.

It became clear that the Dauphiné Alps have followed an exemplary rewilding trajectory for over 70 years. Taking this positive dynamic further aligns with a need to experiment with and diversify models for managing, using, and valuing rural spaces in response to climate change and broader societal and economic shifts.

Restoring natural processes by giving more space and freedom to wild nature will reinforce and diversify the natural value of the landscape, boosting biodiversity at scale. This, in turn, will enable better adaptation to new climate conditions and enhance resilience to droughts, heatwaves, and flooding.

Building on this recovery of nature, new, sustainable land uses and economic opportunities can be developed for those invested in the future of the region. Collaborating with local residents is essential, as this is a founding principle of rewilding.

Delivering tangible benefits to nature and people

Through discussions with partners and stakeholders, we have identified a range of measures through which rewilding can deliver demonstrable benefits to people and nature. These measures are briefly outlined below.

Maintaining biodiversity-rich habitat mosaics and preventing fire risk in areas of transitioning farmland, through natural grazing by semi-wild horses and cattle – animals that are free to express their natural behaviour as large, free-roaming herbivores.

Protecting and rewilding ancient or near-mature forests by establishing “old wood networks” (areas left to evolve freely, old-growth islands, increased volumes of standing and fallen deadwood, etc.) and enhancing the potential of young forests that have naturally developed following rural depopulation in the 19th and 20th centuries (also called “feral forests”).

Rewilding rivers by removing unnecessary barriers, reconnecting riverbeds with floodplains, and restoring headwaters, wetlands, and associated hydrological zones to improve groundwater recharge and flood absorption.

Supporting collaborative approaches to wildlife co-existence, focused on ungulates (deer, wild boar), carnivores (wolves), and aquatic mammals (otters, beavers), using governance models that give voice to stakeholders, facilitate information sharing, and foster solutions through constructive dialogue.

Developing entrepreneurial opportunities linked to wild nature by networking businesses and identifying synergies, new markets, and financing solutions that support innovation – in tourism, forestry, livestock farming, and other nature-dependent sectors.

Creating and sharing a positive and inspiring narrative about the return of wild nature in the Dauphiné Alps, uniting and energising people by promoting a hopeful future for the region, its nature, and its residents.

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