University of Manchester

MSc Nature Recovery, Restoration and Rewilding

Nature Recovery, Restoration and Rewilding graduates will graduate equipped with a critical understanding of the limitations of historical approaches to nature conservation and contemporary and ambitious ideas to transform attitudes, policies and practices through which nature positive solutions may be realised. They will be well versed in social-ecological systems, recognising the critical connections and reciprocity between people and nature. Graduates will be well suited to roles across the public, private and charitable sectors as ecological advisors, environmental planners, environmental consultants, conservation practitioners, researchers, sustainability advisors and environmental educators.

Careers support

The University has its own dedicated Careers Service that you would have full access to as a student and for two years after you graduate. At Manchester you will have access to a number of opportunities to help boost your employability.

Global networks

The University of Manchester is proud to have the largest global alumni community of any campus-based university in the UK.

International alumni groups are a great way to keep in touch with fellow Manchester graduates in your country. It is an opportunity to build professional and social networks.

Humanity has caused a global biodiversity crisis, with wildlife populations declining and over one million species facing extinction. The UN urges everyone to rethink their relationship with nature and adopt transformative solutions to recover, restore, and rewild ecosystems.

The MSc in Nature Recovery, Restoration, and Rewilding (NR3) equips you with the knowledge, skills, and global best practices needed to address the biodiversity crisis. It also covers the broader benefits of these solutions, including tackling the climate crisis and improving human health and wellbeing.

Through small class learning and field work, this course will equip you with a ‘toolbox’ of knowledge and techniques to transform humanity’s relationship with nature. You will acquire understanding and practical skills relating to nature recovery , a suite of tools that aim to benefit nature not just minimise harm, which are being applied in sectors normally linked to biodiversity declines like agriculture and urban development.

Whilst studying this programme, you will see ecological restoration first-hand in uplands, wetlands and forests, learning about practical restoration techniques that repair natural processes and help ecosystems recover after human-induced damage.

You will also be immersed in the theory and practice of rewilding , an exciting approach seeking to give nature more independence over large areas, including reintroducing organisms that can ‘engineer’ ecosystems. Throughout your studies, you will enquire, debate and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of these different approaches, exploring theoretical, ethical and practical perspectives.

Aside from the University of Manchester being a top ranked Higher Education institution, the city has been at the heart of industrial development since the growth of the cotton trade in the late 18th century. The expansion of Manchester has been the forerunner of global urbanisation, which has prioritised economic growth at the expense of the natural environment.

This has not just affected cities, but also the surrounding landscapes that provide natural and social capital to fuel growth, and a wider impact on unconnected areas with a requirement for intensive agricultural practices needed to support a growing human population.

By studying nature recovery, restoration and rewilding in the city that kickstarted urbanisation, students coming to Manchester will be immersed in an excellent example of the global challenge of sustainable development.

During the MSc, students will gain a diverse and rich experience that will enable them to make a real-world impact. Our cohort of students draw from backgrounds representing an array of disciplinary knowledge. This is a crucial aspect of the degree because developing solutions to our environmental crises will require interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches.

Students will be provided with a diverse portfolio of learning opportunities. This will include lectures and seminars given by academics and guest speakers with expertise in the arena of transformative conservation, delivering a blend of philosophical, ethical and applied perspectives. Real-world understanding will be gained through field visits to chosen case studies that are delivering positive outcomes for people and nature.

Finally, students will learn a diverse array of practical skills that are transferable to a wide range of environmental careers, such as data analytics, ecological survey techniques, and geographical information systems. Students are also able to tailor their experience according to their personal ambitions through optional course units from across The University of Manchester, as well as embarking on a research project of their choosing.

The course is taught by world-leading researchers, including:

• Anna Gilchrist (Dr.): Anna's research interests span the natural and social sciences, centring on interactions between humans and nature and how these can influence the structure and function of ecology and ecosystems at the landscape scale. Her research explores how humans are impacting biodiversity and the responses that these impacts may require. Recently, Anna's research has focused on how we can implement transformative conservation methods to respond to the biodiversity crisis.
• Ian Thornhill (Dr.): Ian is passionate about understanding the relationships within ecosystems, focusing on resilience, functional traits, and trait diversity. His work delves into community ecology, exploring the factors that shape community assembly at both local and landscape scales, with a focus on freshwater (or blue spaces). Committed to inclusive science, he advocates for public involvement through citizen science and participatory approaches.
• Emma Shuttleworth (Dr.): Emma is a peatland scientist with a focus on how landscape management and restoration can improve the hydrology and geomorphology of degraded systems. Her research interests lie in how peatlands can be managed for climate resilience and flood risk reduction, and how these management and restoration practices may benefit other ecosystem services, such as reducing sediment and contaminant release.

Special features

• Study on the first degree to embrace nature positive approaches, developed in collaboration with industry experts in nature recovery, restoration and rewilding.
• Benefit from a highly interdisciplinary teaching approach, giving you breadth of knowledge across the social and ecological systems, with the flexibility to specialise to your personal goals by selecting optional modules from across the University.
• Engage in a solutions-oriented, forward looking degree that embraces a positive outlook towards conserving and enhancing biodiversity that is valued by all sectors of society.
• Study in Manchester and be immersed in an excellent example of the global challenge of sustainable development whilst in close proximity to several culturally and ecologically important National Parks.
• Join the world number one for societal and environmental impact (THE Impact Rankings 2024)

Additional course information

The course is aligned with the Environment, Policy and Place Research Group that seeks to understand the ways in which we understand and respond to environmental changes to ensure more sustainable and resilient places.

Teaching and learning

Important notice: factors affecting fieldwork and placements

The School of Environment, Education and Development (SEED) recognises the value of fieldwork and placements. However, the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff remains our priority.

The School will assess on a regular basis the viability of any travel and fieldwork and communicate any significant changes to our students at the earliest possible opportunity.

The role of SEED

• changes to the rules and guidance on travel and activities implemented and published by the UK and overseas governments;
• a risk assessment conducted by or on behalf of the University identifying unmanageable risk;
• changes that enhance the educational value and student experience of the activity;
  changes to the situation of a placement provider (for example, which cause them to be unable to accept students);
• the unavailability of appropriate insurance cover;
• the unavailability of appropriate travel and accommodation and any significant changes to their financial costs;
• where fieldwork and placements are a compulsory element of the Programme, they will be replaced with something academically similar;
• where a trip or placement is not a compulsory element of the Programme, it may not be replaced.

We will consult with affected students at the earliest possible opportunity and explore the options available to them.

The duty of students

Preparation, attendance and conduct

Attendance at preparatory classes is a compulsory pre-requisite of the fieldwork and placements to ensure safety and learning outcomes are met.

Students who do not attend the compulsory preparatory classes may be prevented from participating in the fieldwork or placement. It is the duty of students to discuss any attendance issues with the field course or placement convenor.

Students are representatives of the university during their fieldwork or placement.

Behaviour deemed by the convenor to be unacceptable may result in students being sent home.

Where a student is unable to attend or complete the fieldwork or placement (e.g. due to mitigating circumstances), is prevented from attending due to absence from compulsory preparatory classes, or returned home due to poor conduct:

• a suitable alternative assessment will be offered (as appropriate) to ensure that the programme ILOs are met, and that the student is not academically disadvantaged;
• the University accepts no responsibility for any costs incurred by the student in relation to the fieldwork or placement.

Immigration, passport and visa requirements

It is the responsibility of the individual student to ensure they have:

• a valid passport to enter the destination country (including sufficient months prior to expiry);
• a valid visa (where required) and comply with its requirements.

The School cannot guarantee that visas required for fieldwork or a placement will be granted by the relevant authority. Please note that countries may change their immigration and visa regulations at short notice.

Where a student is unable to attend fieldwork or a placement because they do not have the required visa or passport:

• a suitable alternative assessment will be offered to ensure that the programme ILOs are met and that the student is not academically disadvantaged;
• the University accepts no responsibility for any costs incurred by the student in relation to the fieldwork or placement.