This conference addresses the ethics and narratives surrounding wilderness, wildness, rewilding, and ecological restoration in Europe. We aim to assess the impact of these concepts and approaches on the European landscape, which has historically been a hybrid mixture of wildlife and human culture.

Register here

The tension between, on the one hand, the desire to welcome wild animals and wilderness (back) to Europe and, on the other, preserving and rekindling cultural value and identity animates the debate on rewilding, biodiversity conservation, and land management. Wilderness, and more recently rewilding, have been criticised as colonial, patriarchal, and anthropocentric concepts. While much of this debate takes place in a North American context, Europe has its own challenges to face: among them, human-wildlife conflict; ongoing debates on land use, land access, and land sovereignty; divergent views on wild(er)ness between conservationists and local stakeholders; and concerns about animal welfare in rewilding projects. The event will address these (and other) issues arising within European conservation and rewilding.

•• When and where

7-8 February 2025, University of Vienna
Department of Philosophy,
Room 3D (third floor)
Universitätsstraße 7
A-1010 Wien

•• Keynote speakers

Dr. Monica Vasile
(Maastricht University, NL)
Dr. Martin Drenthen
(Radboud University, NL)

•• Organizing institutions

International Society for Environmental Ethics (ISEE)
Department of Philosophy, University of Vienna
Center for Environmental and Technology Ethics - Prague (CETE-P)

↓ Program Day 1

↓ Program Day 2

•• Venue and logistics

From the Central Train Station (Wien Hauptbahnhof): The U1 (direction Leopoldau) runs regularly between the Tram D (direction Nußdorf / Beethovengang) runs regularly between the central station and the city center too, and will drop you off right in from of the conference venue (stop Schottentor).

From the Airport: There is no need to take a Taxi or Uber from the airport or central station to the city center, but you can take one of the regional trains or the metro (U-Bahn). The Vienna Airport Train (REX7 or S7) runs regularly between the Airport and the city. We recommend not to take the CAT (fast train from the airport to the city center), as it is much more expensive than the S7 or ÖBB REX7 to the city center (“Wien Mitte”). Get off at the Wien Mitte stop, from there it is a short walk or U-Bahn ride to most places in the centre or the conference venue.

•• Special program Day 3

Sunday, February 9, 2025 special program (optional): Short field-trip in Vienna: Wildness and Biodiversity in the City (details will be shared later).

•• Registration

Registration for in person attendance is open until 24 January 2025. Please register via email rethinkingwildeurope@gmail.com

The cost for registration is: 100 EUR for general registration, 75 EUR for ISEE/CETE-P affiliates, 50 EUR for PhD students and those without institutional funding. The details about registration fee payment will be conveyed via email.

•• Organizers and contact

Organizing team:
Leonie Bossert (ISEE / University of Vienna)
Linde De Vroey (ISEE / University of Antwerp)
Iwona Janicka (CETE-P / Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences)
Petr Urban (CETE-P / Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences)

Conference email address:
rethinkingwildeurope@gmail.com

Register here