MSc Nature Recovery, Restoration and Rewilding

• 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) and a top 20 global university for Geography (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024).

Humanity has created a global biodiversity crisis. Wildlife populations are plunging and over one million species now face extinction. The United Nations have stated that everyone, from governments and businesses to individuals, needs to rethink their relationship with nature: We must embrace transformative solutions that will recover, restore and rewild nature across all ecosystems. The MSc in Nature Recovery, Restoration and Rewilding (NR3) has been designed to expose you to the solutions that can help address the biodiversity crisis. You will gain knowledge and understanding of the conceptual and ethical debates about biodiversity enhancement, acquire the practical and field skills required to transform biodiversity futures whilst learning from best practice ‘nature positive’ examples around the world. You will also learn about the wider benefits of these transformative solutions, including their role in addressing 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.
  

Full entry requirements

For the latest information on demonstrating your English language proficiency for those whose first language is not English, please see our English language entry requirements .

This programme also accepts successful completion of the 6- and 10-week pre-sessional English language course. We accept the following qualifications which must be valid on the start date of the Master's course.

Pre-sessional 6-week course requirement:

IELTS UKVI or Academic 6.0 Overall with 6.0 in Writing, no more than one sub-skill at 5.5 and no other sub-skill below 5.5

TOEFL iBT 80 Overall with 20 in Writing, 20 in Speaking and no other sub-skill below 18

Pearson PTE Academic UKVI or Academic 65 Overall with 65 in Writing, no more than one sub-skill at 59 and no other sub-skill below 59

Pre-sessional 10-week course requirement:

IELTS UKVI or Academic 5.5 Overall with no sub-skill below 5.5

TOEFL iBT 72 Overall with 20 in Speaking and no other sub-skill below 18

Pearson PTE Academic UKVI or Academic 59 Overall with no sub-skill below 59

Career opportunities