Country diary: A pocket rocket of rewilding – and a success in the face of opposition
Asturias, Spain: I visit a farm that is thrilling in its ecological abundance, created in just eight years
TL;DR
- Wild Finca, a small farm, has become a rich ecological hub in eight years.
- It supports a wide array of wildlife, including insects, reptiles, mammals, and birds.
- The farm challenges the idea that rewilding only happens on a large scale.
- Despite ecological abundance, the region faces unregulated tourism development.
- The farm's owners have faced opposition from corruption, commercialism, and conservatism.
- Local allies include neighbors, a vet, a retired police chief, and informants about wolves.
- The Asturian government plans to cull wolves, despite their presence in the Picos de Europa.
- The sanctuary's success is hindered by a lack of wider societal change in attitudes towards wildlife.