London Rewilding Taskforce
What is the London Rewilding Taskforce
The London Rewilding Taskforce was brought together to explore opportunities for rewilding in London to support nature recovery and enhance biodiversity, while bringing benefits to Londoners and addressing the climate and ecological emergency. They met three times over the course of 2022, culminating in a final recommendations report published in March 2023.
Taskforce aims
The London Rewilding Taskforce was a time-limited advisory group convened by the Mayor of London.
Their role was to explore potential opportunities for rewilding in London to support nature recovery and enhance biodiversity, while bringing benefits to Londoners and addressing the climate and ecological emergency. The key aims of the Taskforce were to:
- Consider how rewilding practices could inform conservation land management in London to support recovery of nature across the capital and how this could be funded.
- Build consensus on what rewilding means in London, where practical opportunities might exist, and how rewilding might be incorporated into the development of a Local Nature Recovery Strategy for London.
- Communicate what rewilding means in London to a broader public audience and engage Londoners in action to rewild the city.
The Mayor announced that he would establish the London Rewilding Taskforce in December 2021, alongside the launch of the Rewild London Fund. The Taskforce met three times between Spring to Autumn 2022.
Their final recommendations report is now available for you to read.
Rewilding London - Final report of the London Rewilding Taskforce
Taskforce members
The Taskforce brought together 14 experts representing the public, private, and third sectors, as well as, youth and the environmental news media:
-
Shirley Rodrigues, GLA, Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy (Chair)
-
Nicky Gavron, London Recovery Board, Board Member – Environment (Vice Chair)
-
Ben Goldsmith, Menhaden Capital Management LLP, CEO; Defra, Former Non-Executive Board Member (Vice Chair)
-
Pamela Abbott, Citizen Zoo, Non-Executive Director
-
Ian Barnes, TV & Film Director; London Borough of Enfield, Former Deputy Leader of Enfield Council
-
Liz Bonnin, The Wildlife Trusts, President; Natural History & Environmental Broadcaster
-
Nick Bruce-White, RSPB, Operations Director – South England
-
Alastair Driver, Rewilding Britain, Director
-
Mathew Frith, London Wildlife Trust, Director of Research and Policy
-
Ruth Lin Wong Holmes, London Legacy Development Corporation, Head of Landscape
-
Stefania Horne, City of London Corporation, Superintendent for Hampstead Heath and North London
-
Kabir Kaul, Young Conservationist
-
Isabella Tree, Knepp Castle Estate, Conservationist and Author
-
John Tweddle, Natural History Museum, Head of Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity
The Taskforce was an advisory group supported by the GLA's Green Infrastructure team and does not hold decision-making powers. Members were not paid for their participation in the Taskforce.
Shirley Rodrigues (Chair)
Deputy Mayor of London for Environment and Energy, Greater London Authority
Shirley Rodrigues was appointed as London Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy in October 2016. Previously she oversaw a global climate change grants portfolio at the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) developing their cities and climate strategy, and in other senior environmental roles has devised and delivered a range of environmental policies and programmes in London, nationally and internationally.
She is now working to deliver the Mayor’s vision of making London greener, fairer and healthier through implementing his London Environment Strategy. This includes ambitious programmes to reduce air pollution across London, including the implementation of the world’s first Ultra Low Emission Zone, and greening and rewilding the city. Her key focus is on working to ensure London’s economic and social recovery from the impacts of Covid-19 is a green and fair one by tackling the climate and ecological emergency with the ambitious aim for London to be a net zero carbon city by 2030.
Nicky Gavron (Vice Chair)
Board Member – Environment, London Recovery Board
Nicky Gavron served as an elected politician from 1986 to 2021 and has a track record in urban policy development at every level of government. In particular, she has been at the forefront of developing integrated and sustainable land-use, transport and environmental planning policies for London. In 2000, she became the first statutory Deputy Mayor of London, a post she held for seven years. In this role, she worked closely with Mayor Ken Livingstone to set up the Greater London Authority’s working processes and policy frameworks, with responsibility for the London Plan and climate change. She also played a central role in shaping the agenda for women and established the GLA’s Children and Young People’s Unit.
Leading London’s response to climate change, she introduced policies and programmes to reduce CO2 emissions across energy, water, waste and transport. Her initiatives included establishing the London Climate Change Agency and C40 Cities. She currently advises the London Recovery Board on environmental matters. The London Recovery Board brings together leaders from across London’s government, business and civil society to oversee the city’s long-term recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ben Goldsmith (Vice Chair)
Non-Executive Director, Defra; CEO, Menhaden Capital Management LLP
Ben Goldsmith is CEO of Menhaden Capital Management LLP which manages London-listed investment trust Menhaden Capital plc which invests in business opportunities arising from the efficient use of energy and resources. Sectors of focus include industrial process and material efficiency, energy efficiency and storage, power generation and waste and water. He was previously a non-executive board member of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) from March 2018 to July 2022.
Previously Ben co-founded and built WHEB Asset Management, now one of Europe’s leading sustainability-focused fund management businesses. He chairs the Goldsmith family’s philanthropic foundation, the JMG Foundation, which has a focus on the environment, and is also a Trustee of one of the UK’s largest philanthropic foundations, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF). In 2003, he co-founded the UK Environmental Funders Network.
Pamela Abbott
Non-Executive Director, Citizen Zoo
Pamela has chaired the board of Citizen Zoo since it was founded in 2016. Her career spans national and international nature conservation with previous roles as Director of Programmes at UNEP-WCMC and Area Manager for Norfolk and Suffolk with Natural England. She was the Chief Executive of Norfolk Wildlife Trust from 2018 to 2021 and, prior to that, chaired the Cambridge Conservation Forum network of over 70 nature conservation organisations. In the 1980s, whilst a Head Gardener at Murray Edwards College, she established a wildlife garden in the grounds and taught gardening for wildlife courses in the Cambridge University Botanic Garden. Pamela is an independent consultant and expert member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) UK Executive Committee where she chairs its Ecological Restoration Working Group. She is also a member of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas and Commission on Ecosystem Management.
Ian Barnes
TV & Film Director; Former Deputy Leader of Enfield Council, London Borough of Enfield
Ian Barnes served as a Councillor in the London Borough of Enfield from 2018-2022 and held the post of Deputy Leader from 2019-2022. He was Chair of the Council’s Climate Change Task Force and oversaw the launch of its Climate Action Plan aiming to make the Council carbon neutral by 2030, followed by the borough ten years later. He spearheaded the Council’s reintroduction of Beavers back into the wilds of Enfield after a 400 year absence, and was involved in the Enfield Chase Restoration project where 100,000 trees have been planted over the past two winters. He laid the foundation for the next great ambition to plant one million trees to create London’s first new forest for centuries in the green belt to the north of the borough. He is a Woodland Trust Cllr Tree Champion and a member of the London Road Safety Council. Outside of his political work, he can be found directing television programmes for all of the major TV channels.
Liz Bonnin
President, The Wildlife Trusts; Natural History & Environmental Broadcaster
With a Masters in Wild Animal Biology, science and natural history broadcaster Liz Bonnin has presented over 40 primetime programmes including Bafta-award winning ‘Blue Planet Live’, ‘Galapagos’ and ‘Operation Snow Tiger’. Her TV career draws heavily on her academic expertise and recent projects include the environmental documentaries ‘Meat: A Threat to Our Planet?’, investigating the impact of the intensive meat industry, and multi award-winning ‘Drowning in Plastic’, exploring the ocean plastic crisis. She currently presents ‘What Planet Are We On?’, a podcast delving into climate change and our relationship with the natural world, which includes such guests David Attenborough, Idris Elba and Christiana Figueres. Liz is the president of The Wildlife Trusts, and regularly speaks at and hosts science and natural history events in the UK and abroad.
Nick Bruce-White
Operations Director – South England, RSPB
Nick Bruce-White leads the RSPB’s operations across the south of England, from the Thames Estuary west to the Isles of Scilly, leading a large team including those on the RSPB’s nature reserve estate as well as those influencing land management, species recovery and policy across the wider landscape. Nick lives in Exeter and grew up on the family-run farm in Wiltshire, although his 20-year career in nature conservation began at Rainham Marshes in East London, establishing the site as a flagship nature reserve following its past use as a MoD firing range.
Alastair Driver
Director, Rewilding Britain
Alastair Driver leads Rewilding Britain’s national policy and influencing work, alongside giving on the ground advice to large landowners in England and Wales. He raises the profile of Rewilding Britain through public speaking, events and media interviews. Alastair was appointed as the first ever conservation officer for the Thames catchment in 1984 and held that role for 18 years. He was Head of Conservation for the Environment Agency from 2002 – 2016. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management and is an Honorary Professor in Applied Environmental Management at the University of Exeter.
Mathew Frith
Director of Research and Policy, London Wildlife Trust
Mathew Frith is an urban ecologist with over 30 years’ experience of land management policy and practice in nature conservation, and a particular interest in the relationship between nature and society in cities. He has worked with organisations such as London Ecology Unit, English Nature, and Peabody, to develop and promote better understanding of biodiversity conservation in urban areas, whether it’s in private gardens, parks, housing estates, waterways, nature reserves or on buildings. He now oversees the development of the London Wildlife Trust’s conservation policy work, advocating the protection, creation and promotion of a wilder city, and furthering the Trust’s research work, with partner and peer organisations. Mathew is a full member of the Chartered Institute of Ecology & Environmental Management, the Society for the Environment, Fellow of the Linnean Society of London, and a Green Flag Award judge.
Ruth Lin Wong Holmes
Head of Landscape, London Legacy Development Corporation
Ruth Lin Wong Holmes has over 25 years’ experience as a Chartered Landscape Architect working for the public, private and voluntary sectors. She currently works for London Legacy Development Corporation, which has responsibility for Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and developing neighbourhoods. She worked for The Royal Parks caring for over 5,000 acres of historic parkland in London after working for a Groundwork Trust. Her voluntary roles include Chair of hte London Parks and Gardens Trust, The Royal Parks Guild Vice Chair Committee championing London parks and horticultural apprentices, Bumblebee Conservation Trustee, Green Flag/Green Heritage Judge and Metropolitan Public Gardens Association, and World Urban Parks Healthy Parks Healthy Cities Committee member.
Stefania Horne
Superintendent for Hampstead Heath and North London, City of London Corporation
Stefania Horne is an experienced conservation, green spaces and public services manager who was appointed by the City of London Corporation as the first female Superintendent to manage Hampstead Heath. She began in the role in January 2022, also running Golders Hill Park, Highgate Wood, Queen’s Park and Keats House. Previously, Stefania was Head of Parks and Sport at the London Borough of Hounslow. She has also held roles at the London Borough of Redbridge, the Wildlife Trust, and the Forestry Commission and has worked in partnership with the Greater London Authority. She is Vice Chair of the Parks Management Association and an Executive Member of the Chief Leisure Officers Association.
Kabir Kaul
Young Conservationist
Kabir Kaul is a young conservationist, wildlife writer and passionate advocate for London’s biodiversity. He is an ambassador for the Cameron Bespolka Trust, RSPB Youth Councillor, London National Park City Ranger, and Director of Environment & Conservation for Middlesex Heritage. He has created a popular interactive map, Nature Reserves of London, showing every nature reserve and designated wildlife site in the capital. Through blogging, writing, public speaking and social media, he brings focus and awareness to the many green and blue spaces in the capital, what he refers to as the ‘Wild Side of London’, and how Londoners can make a difference for the wildlife on their doorstep. Kabir has been interviewed by several media outlets including BBC Autumnwatch and The Observer, and received the Prime Minister’s Points of Light award in March 2020.
Isabella Tree
Conservationist and Author, Knepp Castle Estate
Isabella Tree is a conservationist and author of Wilding, the account of rewilding a 3,500-acre unprofitable arable and dairy farm in West Sussex. It won the 2019 Richard Jefferies prize for nature writing and was one of the Smithsonian’s top ten science books for 2018. She writes for publications such as National Geographic, Granta, The Sunday Times and The Observer. Her articles have been selected for The Best American Travel Writing and Reader's Digest Today's Best Non-Fiction, and she was Overall Winner of the Travelex Travel Writer Awards. She is currently working on the Book of Wilding – a practical guide to rewilding big and small.
John Tweddle
Head of Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity, Natural History Museum
Dr. John Tweddle is Head of the Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity at the Natural History Museum. As an ecologist he works closely with the UK’s nature conservation sector exploring how community science, genomics and acoustic biology can support and inform conservation practice. Recent research includes the impacts of climate change on the UK’s plants and the conservation and educational outcomes of citizen science. John is scientific lead for the Urban Nature Project with a focus on DNA-led discovery of London’s biodiversity and development of scalable methods for monitoring nature in the UK’s towns and cities.
Here you can find a summary of the London Rewilding Taskforce meetings:
Need a document on this page in an accessible format?
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of a PDF or other document on this page in a more accessible format, please get in touch via our online form and tell us which format you need.
It will also help us if you tell us which assistive technology you use. We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 5 working days.