Forest rewilding opportunities in Europe

The final priority map combines a forest rewilding suitability index, derived from a multi-criteria analysis of 13 ecological, feasibility and threat exposure metrics, with a forest rewilding probability layer based on cross-scenario agreement across eight land-use change simulations (2020–2050).

The resulting nine-class raster identifies where rewilding is both ecologically suitable and plausible across divergent socio-economic futures. Coverage includes EU-27, the United Kingdom, Norway, Switzerland and the Western Balkans. The dataset supports spatial prioritisation of forest restoration efforts under the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the Nature Restoration Regulation.