Wildlife has bounced back since Ohio’s Valley View Golf Course was rewilded. Photo Credit: Summit Metro Parks
Environment The WorldRewilding Golf Courses, Worldwide
Around the world, abandoned golf courses are being reclaimed by nature.
“It’s a multiple win. You increase access by taking former private golf courses and turning them into public properties … [you return] water back into rivers and streams and create a better habitat for the endangered species,” says Guillermo Rodriguez, the California state director of The Trust for Public Land.
Golf courses are being rewilded in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. One golf course in Ohio, United States, had 200 species of plant and wildlife before the rewilding project; today, over 900 species have been documented in the area. Moreover, species tend to return to these areas once the native vegetation has been restored. Some projects will even include walk and bike paths, allowing locals more significant opportunities to connect with nature.
