The political dimensions of rewilding preference

Abstract

Rewilding is increasingly recognized in Europe as a strategy for ecological restoration. However, there has been limited study of the socio-political dimensions of rewilding projects, particularly how political affiliation may influence preferences for rewilding. Given the turbulent European political landscape and significant new environmental legislation, such as the European Green Deal and Nature Restoration Regulation, understanding the interaction between politics and rewilding preferences is critical. We employed a discrete choice experiment approach to assess the impact of political ideology on respondents’ willingness to pay for rewilding interventions in the Oder Delta, which spans evenly across Germany and Poland. Our findings indicate that politics is a major driver of rewilding preferences in both countries, and while rewilding is favored across party lines, the extent of preference is often aligned with the left-right political spectrum.