Whales, bears, lynx: Europe’s rewilding projects allow tourists to encounter wildlife responsibly

15.04.2024 - 15:25 / euronews.com

Sarah Faith is a content and values writer at activist travel company, Responsible Travel.

Europe boasts iconic big predators, spectacular birdlife, and some of the world’s last stretches of remote wilderness. So, swap the beach break for your binoculars and head out on a doorstep safari - because Europe’s wildlife needs your help.

According to the European Environment Agency, Europe’s biodiversity is declining at an alarming rate. But there’s hope. Rewilding projects across the continent are bringing life back where it’s disappearing and tourism can support them. Here’s where to see wildlife in Europe this year.

“Across mainland Europe, there are many examples where nature is making a dramatic recovery, showing what is possible by giving nature more space and freedom.” says Peter Cairns, executive director of Scotland: The Big Picture, which has a vision to transform the Scottish wilderness through rewilding and the reintroduction of larger species like beaver, lynx, and even wolves.

“As wildlife returns, so too do people, who see increasing opportunities in rewilded landscapes.”

You can help make the economic case for wildlife on a small ship cruise to spot whales, dolphins, basking sharks, seals and seabirds around the Isle of Mull and surrounding islands.

White-tailed eagles are a highlight and their presence on Mull is a conservation success story, with 22 pairs of the previously extinct-in-the-UK bird now calling the island home.

A seven-day cruise to Mull, Islay, Luing, Shuna and Jura with St Hilda Sea Adventures costs from £1,330 (€1,560) per person.

Scotland’s doorstep safaris don’t stop there. The Cairngorms National Park - home to a quarter of Britain’s threatened species - is home to osprey, golden eagles, rutting deer, pine marten, and even wild cats.

Meet the people committed to preserving the Cairngorms for nature - and spot beavers - on a Scotland: The Big Picture rewilding journey. Four days in the Great Glen costs from £995 (€1,166) per person. All profits go towards the charity’s ongoing rewilding efforts.

One of Europe’s last great wildernesses is found in the Alpine meadows, forests and towering peaks of the Southern Carpathian mountains. Romania boasts the largest brown bear population in Europe outside of Russia, alongside some of Europe’s best chances to see wolves and lynx.

Spot them from remote yet comfortable hides run by Foundation Conservation Carpathia which aims to turn the region into a European Yellowstone - a vast protected wilderness that will boost biodiversity and provide a sustainable income for local people in harmony with nature.

A four-day trip with Travel Carpathia costs from €460 per person, with all proceeds going to Foundation Conservation Carpathia. It includes