Rewilding Portugal is working to rewild the Coa Valley in Portugal, bringing back wild horses as a first step on the journey to returning wolves and lynx.

Pedro Prata, Rewilding Portugal’s team leader, says to CNN, published this week: “The aim is to allow nature to recover, wildlife to come back, but also for people and nature to benefit alike.”

He emphasises the importance of wildlife for a healthy environment: “Top predators act as guardians in the landscape. But … (roe dears and wild horses) are the ones who manage the growth of the vegetation. They take the nutrients back into the soil with their dung. They are the real engineers of the vegetation.”