... doesn't always work as well as we'd like . But this reminded me of cases where nature rebounded spectacularly beyond all expectation: Chernobyl and Fukushima . So why are they recovering so well, and some other areas not? What's different? Maybe the radiation. Maybe the size. Maybe the the very serious ban on humans, that's a good bet. It would be worth comparing. Meanwhile, I think the best thing we could do for rewilding is to apply copious amounts of organic matter -- manure, compost, humus, even just tilling under cover crops -- to restore nutrients and build soil before attempting to reintroduce native species. Hell, sow it with alfalfa and let a herd of bison shit on it for a few years. You're not going to hack up old farmland any worse than it already is, and you might manage enough repair to give the restoration a better chance.