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Paragraph A: **Rewilding** is a conservation strategy focused on restoring and protecting wilderness areas and returning ecological processes and, crucially, **keystone species** to landscapes where they have been lost. This approach aims to create more **resilient, self-sustaining ecosystems** that require minimal human management. It represents a **significant shift from traditional conservation**, which often focuses on protecting small, fragmented habitats.

Paragraph B: The core principle of rewilding is the restoration of **trophic complexity**—the food web structure involving predators, herbivores, and plants. A prime example of successful rewilding is the reintroduction of **grey wolves** to Yellowstone National Park in the United States in 1995. After an absence of nearly **70 years**, the wolves, as apex predators, controlled **the population of elk**. This led to a phenomenon called a **trophic cascade**: elk grazing diminished, allowing **willow and aspen** trees to flourish along riverbanks. This vegetation stabilised the banks, benefiting other species like beavers and fish, and eventually changing the **physical geography** of the area.

Paragraph C: Rewilding projects are not confined to large national parks. In Europe, the **Oostvaardersplassen reserve** in the Netherlands experimented with reintroducing large herbivores, such as **Konik horses and Heck cattle**, to an area reclaimed from the **sea**. The goal was to **mimic the grazing patterns of extinct megafauna**. Furthermore, projects like the reintroduction of the European bison into the **Carpathian Mountains** illustrate the commitment to restoring large mammals across fragmented landscapes.

Paragraph D: The process often involves meticulous steps, including **genetic analysis** to ensure the viability of translocated populations, habitat restoration prior to release, and continuous, post-release monitoring using **GPS tracking**. While rewilding holds immense promise for ecological restoration and carbon sequestration, it faces **public resistance** due to concerns about the reintroduction of **large carnivores near human settlements**. However, the long-term benefits to biodiversity and ecosystem health are increasingly recognized by governments and conservation scientists globally.