21/10/2026
Britain needs to Rewild to Recover from worsening future wildfire threat, says our new report published today: Rewilding and climate resilience: reducing wildfire risk in a heating climate. 🔥
As we enter the wetter autumn months, it’s easy to put the summer’s wildfires out of mind. But with climate emergency impacts intensifying across Britain, we need to take transformative action to prepare for next summer and beyond.
In 2025 alone, wildfires burnt around 47,000 hectares of land – an area larger than Glasgow and Birmingham combined. And by mid-summer 2026, fire services had attended more wildfires than in the previous three years combined.
Key takeaways from the report 👇
- Rewilding works on the ground: The data shows that restoring nature doesn't increase wildfire risk vs other land uses.
- It’s not just about plant growth: There's been a lot of discussion about fuel load and what this means. 64% of fires occurred in monoculture-dominated landscapes that weren’t rewilding. It's a complex topic – the report explores this in more detail.
- Nature creates natural firebreaks: Wetting peatlands, bringing back wetlands, and mixing up plant life keeps landscapes naturally damp and breaks up fuel for fires, making land better able to withstand and slow down flames.
- Backing our emergency services: While stopping ignitions and funding local Fire and Rescue Services are critical, fixing the health of the land gives our fire services a much better chance of keeping fires under control.
While wildfires present growing challenges, rewilding is one of our most solutions to help us grow resilience and safeguard our landscapes for the future. 🌿
We’re calling on Andy Burnham and the UK government to rewild Britain for a safer future. We’re urging them to 👊
- Rewild our response to extreme weather: Use the evidence from this report and put nature recovery at the heart of how we prepare for and prevent climate shocks.
- Reinvest in our landscapes: Create a Climate Shock Fund to restore nature and make Britain more resilient against floods, fires, water shortages and days of extreme heat.
Read the full report via our link in the comments.
