Rewilding, gender and the transformation of the Côa Valley

Abstract

This paper focuses on women's agency through their responses to a rewilding initiative. To do this, we draw on ethnographic research conducted in a rewilding landscape in the Côa Valley in Portugal. Our initial encounters in the rewilding field were all with male workers. This led us to actively seek out women's experiences, who were mainly located on the margins of rewilding. We believe these experiences cast rewilding—and its effects on rural communities—in a new light. We discuss three women's differing relationships with a rewilding initiative: Beatriz who sold land to rewilding and purchased other productive land for her son; Diana and Matilda who are running businesses alongside raising young families and envisioning futures. Their experiences highlight not only how they have developed alternative means to ensure the reproduction of the family, but also how rewilding is more than nature. We conclude that listening to voices less heard enables a better understanding of how rewilding affects people's lives and their differential access to resources.