Rewilding Patagonia: Restoring an Ecology of Fear | Evolution Earth

Support learning about ecosystem resilience through a rewilding case study from South America. After guanacos were allowed to repopulate their native grazing lands in Patagonia, their predators — pumas — soon followed. The return of a healthy ecology of fear is restoring this damaged, native grassland biome.

Through viewing questions and discussion prompts, students explore the interconnectedness of life with the land. They also consider the negative impacts of historic uses of land and the positive impacts of applying modern understandings about keystone predators and their critical role in ecosystem resilience. Students have an opportunity to argue how restoring the ecology of fear in other damaged landscapes might help Earth rebalance its carbon cycle.