Up until about 40,000 years ago - when modern humans showed up and spoilt all the fun - giant straight-tusked elephants dominated the ecosystem of Europe. Along with other animals we now associate with warmer climes such as hippos, rhinos, lions and hyenas, the elephants tramped around a rich, thriving, densely forested environment – a far cry from the tamed, cultivated landscape that passes for wilderness today.
But some believe we can be wild again. The launch of Rewilding Britain, a new charity with the aim of restoring ancient eco-systems across Europe, could be the first small step towards a future that resembles our wilder past.
Two years ago, as part of our ‘Made Simple’ series for the Guardian, we worked on an animation, narrated by journalist George Monbiot in which he introduced the concept of rewilding. Compellingly articulated in his book ‘Feral,’ Monbiot proposes a mass restoration of the ecosystems that have been lost over the last few thousand millennia. He argues that areas currently kept flat, bare and wildlife-free by a farming industry that isn’t even fully utilising the land could be handed back to nature and allowed to rewild. And it wouldn’t just be a re-emergence of flora but fauna too.
Tasked with producing the charity’s website, Susan Wright came to us with the idea of bringing some of the animation’s hand-drawn charm to their online presence.
“When we were developing the Rewilding Britain website we were really developing the brand at the same time,” says Susan. “We had strong photography but we wanted a way to lift the brand, to reflect the warm, light side of rewilding.”
“Rewilding is all about restoring ecosystems and our connection with nature. It's a positive thing, a way to make a better world. Sure, the challenges are huge and the opposition serious but we want to be accessible and remind people that nature is our friend, something we're actually part of. When we saw the Rewilding Made Simple animation we knew we'd found the solution - Scriberia.”
“Scriberia understood exactly what we were trying to do. They added their creative thinking to our loose brief to come up with a series of rewilding drawings that absolutely hit the spot. We love them and we hope everyone else does too.”
“We can't wait to use more of them in further Rewilding Britain materials. We're hugely grateful to Scriberia for contributing their talent at reduced rate to the rewilding cause.”