Cover Image credits: Sophie Monsarrat | Rewilding Europe
We are now in our second year in partnership with Rewilding Europe. The organisation does vital work to enhance the overall ecological health of natural landscapes, support wildlife comeback and scale up rewilding across Europe. For EnviroSustain, the partnership offers the perfect opportunity to have a positive impact on the world around us in big and small ways and is a large part of our ESG Strategy for 2024 and beyond.
Our annual donations support the European Wildlife Comeback Fund helping to scale up the recovery and reintroduction of keystone species into various landscapes across Europe.
We have also been working with the Rewilding Oder Delta team since last summer to provide pro-bono support and advice for their new headquarters and rewilding facility.
Rewilding the Oder Delta
The Oder Delta is located on the Baltic coast, straddling the border of Germany and Poland and is the landscape closest to our head office in Berlin. Seven species have been chosen as the ‘Oder Delta Big Seven’: white-tailed eagle, European bison, beaver, elk, wolf, Atlantic sturgeon and grey seal.
In June 2023, the Oder Delta team opened their new centre near the village of Rothenklempenow on the German side of the delta. The two-storey building from the 1920s will act as a rewilding hub, with offices, accommodation, a meeting area and garden, space for outdoor events and workshops, and information and imagery for visitors.
During our visit there, the ES and Oder Delta teams discussed the first ideas for modernising the buildings from the 1920s, including different space function, a new sustainable energy concept, and enhancing the exterior spaces.
A focal point for rewilding activities
As we continue the partnership, this year we are helping the rewilding team with the restoration and retrofit of the centre. Plans for development include transformation of the facility and modernisation of the building to comply with the newest sustainability standards. This work carried out by ES will include an energy profile of the office building and options for renewable energy and sustainable materials.
The project is not just about the future use of the area. Rather, it is about keeping the big picture in mind. For example: How is a self-sufficient energy supply possible? Will the on-site organic wastewater treatment plant continue to operate, can rainwater be collected for dry periods? How can the old barn be rebuilt in the best possible way using local resources such as straw, wood and clay? What can we learn from local pioneers like BioBoden and Haffhuus?
Most recently in March, we met on site with the Rewilding Oder Delta team and the Technical University of Berlin’s Natural Building Lab who we will work with together with local architects and engineers. The development of the centre will be a summer project for 22 students who will present plans and ideas for the visitor centre and outdoor environment for education so that it can serve as a coherent base for rewilding in the region.
“We are very pleased about the cooperation with EnviroSustain and the Natural Building Lab at TU Berlin”, says Peter Torkler, CEO of Rewilding Oder Delta. “It will be particularly exciting for us to find out the students’ perspectives on our future rewilding centre. There will certainly be some surprising impulses here, which we can then incorporate into our planning for the building and property.”
Partnerships like ours are invaluable to Rewilding Europe, not only providing funds to support their rewilding actions and landscapes but also sharing expertise, giving support, and spreading the word about the vital work that they do. If you’d like to find out more about working with the Rewilding Europe team in any capacity, you can get in touch with them via their website.
