According to Rewilding Europe (a European project founded by WWF Netherlands, ARK Nature, Wild Wonders of Europe, and Conservation Capital), wildlife in Europe has increased by around 40% over the last fifteen years. This is due to several factors: wildlife protection laws (especially those protecting wolves), rural depopulation, and improvements in agricultural practices.
Chicken looking for foodSimona Pampallona
The project Once It All Seemed Like Countryside tells the story of the province of Grosseto in Tuscany and its transformations. The province of Grosseto was, and still is, a predominantly agricultural area, with small villages where the average age keeps rising and where the few industries that existed have shut down because of the economic crisis. It also contains inhabited areas classified as “nature reserves,” a vast hunting reserve, and many woodland areas that have returned as forests due to the gradual abandonment of the countryside.
