52’ or 43’ 4K
What is wilderness? Apart from taiga and tundra in the north of the continent, not many real, unchanged landscapes remain in Europe. And it is almost impossible to designate large nature reserves in densely populated Central Europe.
This documentary film directed by Jan Haft embarks on a cinematic journey across Europe looking for answers to this exciting question. We learn that the greatest biodiversity is where large grazing animals are part of the habitat. Even if the species-rich large animal fauna that once existed has disappeared from Europe with the advent of modern humans, "ecosystem engineering services" can still be provided in grassland areas by domestic animals, their tame descendants.
This new-found knowledge constitutes an opportunity for our future – not only because wild pastures have been shown to store more carbon than forests but also because where many natural processes take place, it is possible to achieve a state that resembles wilderness. A new wilderness, perhaps. But a wilderness that is beneficial and important for biodiversity, animal welfare, climate, our land and the future of humankind.
