PASSAGE 3 REWILDING

READING PASSAGE 3
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40, which are based on Reading Passage 3 below.

REWILDING
Ecologist Derek Gow looks at the challenges of ‘rewilding’ – restoring areas of land to the wild and reintroducing their original animal species

In Holland they have developed a creative landscape philosophy called ‘New Nature’, and the most iconic illustration of this is the site called the Oostvaardersplassen, near Amsterdam. Here, throughout 6,000 enclosed hectares, feral Heck bulls excavate amphibian ponds with their hooves and horns, while stags and stallions battle fiercely for possession of herds of females. These creatures present a living vision that many ‘rewilders’ adore. Although this project may present a primeval impression, in reality it is a completely artificial though courageous creation, limited by fences, budgets, an adjacent main railway line, surrounding land users and fickle political support. Less than a lifetime ago the landscape these ‘wild’ herbivores now occupy was the bed of the North Sea.

Despite the contention that surrounds such projects, the Oostvaardersplassen has produced some inspirational results. Spoonbills have returned to breed in ever increasing numbers, creating a surplus population which has overlapped back into Britain. Sea eagles have raised their first nestlings in centuries, nourished by the ample supply of deer that the site affords. Projects of this type, which restore key species or re- engineer landscapes to allow natural processes such as seasonal flooding or forest fires to reoccur, have demonstrated that when nature is given free rein, the results which arise can be truly spectacular. Are we, however, prepared to live in landscapes where these processes, even if appropriately modified, become part of our own experience?

While space is without a doubt one of the biggest obstacles facing rewilders, a range of structural, social and cultural issues can also conspire to hinder change. As an example, I have been involved with the restoration of the Eurasian beaver – a large rodent that builds complex structures from wood, stones and mud across rivers – in Britain since the early 1990s. Although they once had a world range which extended from Britain to China and numbered tens of millions, beavers were hunted virtually to extinction by humans as a result of an insatiable demand for their fur, scent glands and meat. They have been widely reintroduced throughout much of their former European range as an awareness of their critical function in the creation of wetland habitats has developed. Beaver-generated landscapes also play a significant part in the retention and purification of water.

There is an abundance of entirely suitable beaver habitat available in Britain, and despite the fact that occasional conflicts will arise between beavers’ engineering activities and human land use, European experience again demonstrates quite ably that these conflicts are manageable. Despite this well-established knowledge, the restoration of beavers in Britain has proven to be a pitifully slow process. Political apathy and indifference have coupled with the total lack of knowledge of opponents who simply want no change to the status quo. The official trials in Scotland and England have focused on the creation of tiny populations which remain extremely fragile.

If a species as benevolent as the beaver presents a significant challenge, then how much more difficult will it be to restore predators? While science and experience may dictate that wolves pose no significant threat to humans, their tentative re-colonisation of many western European countries over the course of the last few decades has often evoked a primal response. Farmers’ groups have trapped them in pits in France and burnt them to death; hunters have poisoned them for killing ‘their’ deer; kindergarten teachers have implored forest authorities to remove them from the landscape to ensure that this medieval menace does not lurk in the dark when their tiny children go to school on a winter’s morning. Attitude change, it would seem, is a slow and painful process, one not easily turned round by knowledge.

Any start to rewilding is therefore likely to be humble. Despite a measured approach, it is probable that fishermen and their strident support groups may not welcome the addition of the pelican, a 15kg water bird, to the large number of predators which they already detest. The scientific community may dislike the pragmatism required on a semi-industrial scale to restore small species to remake the base of essential food chains if newly available habitats emerge. Many farmers, despite the sums they would be paid, will not wish to see their once-drained bogs rehydrated, their dead animals consumed by sea eagles or their pastures revert to scrub.

In the end it comes down to changing patterns. We have moulded the landscapes of the world as a species to suit our own passing needs, predilections and pleasures. While change is commonly opposed on whatever basis arises, change is nevertheless a constant in life. It is likely that ‘rewilding’ or ‘New Nature’ – call it what you will – could become a base movement which affords a fresh opportunity to approach nature conservation in a fashion which will, over time, be all the more rewarding for the surprises it presents.

Questions 27 – 31

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

27 What does the writer say about the Oostvaardersplassen in the first paragraph?

A It is not a typical example of a successful rewilding project.
B It is not an ecologically sustainable project in the long term.
C It is not a true reconstruction of how the area originally was.
D It is not faithful to the principles of its underlying philosophy.

28 What is the writer’s attitude towards the Oostvaardersplassen?

A admiration for what it has achieved
B disappointment over its inevitable limitations
C optimism that the project will be imitated elsewhere
D concern about the choice of species introduced there

29 What point about beavers is emphasised in the third paragraph?

A Their numbers are falling dramatically.
B They play a key role within local ecosystems.
C They require a very specific kind of habitat in order to survive.
D There are environmental problems associated with their reintroduction.
30 The writer refers to beavers in the fourth paragraph in order to provide an

A indication of the likely resistance to the reintroduction of other species.
B illustration of a species that urgently needs to be restored to its habitat.
C example of some lessons learnt about how not to try to reintroduce species.
D example of a species whose restoration has faced more problems than most.

31 By putting inverted commas ‘ ’ around the word ‘their’ in line 49, the writer suggests that

A he has some sympathy for the hunters’ situation.
B there is some doubt as to who the deer belong to.
C restoration of wolves caused harm to local wildlife.
D the hunters have no right to claim ownership of the deer.

Questions 32 – 36
Complete the summary using the list of words, A – H, below. Write the correct letter, A – H, in boxes 32 – 36 below.

Problems of Rewilding Projects

Rewilding projects have to deal with numerous challenges. For example, the reintroduction of beavers to Britain has faced 32 ………. from government ministers together with 33 on
the part of opponents to the scheme. Where wolves have been reintroduced in western Europe, there has been widespread 34 ……….. against these animals among local people, despite clear 35 ………. that the species poses virtually no 36 to them.

A advice               B ignorance           C danger              D wildlife
E damage            F prejudice             G evidence           H disinterest

Questions 37 – 40
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in the text?
In boxes 37 – 40 below, write
YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

37 Beaver restoration in Britain is being held back by a lack of appropriate land.
38 Scientists have tried to persuade local residents of the benefits of restoring wolves.
39 Financial incentives will encourage most farmers to welcome rewilding on their land.
40 The results of rewilding will be unpredictable.