In Europe, only 1-3% of forests can be considered truly "primary" ecosystems that have never been directly managed by humans. But how do scientists distinguish between genuinely untouched wilderness and forests that have naturally regenerated?

Tzvetan Zlatanov thought he'd struck scientific gold. The forest ecologist from Bulgaria's Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research was standing in what appeared to be Europe's ecological holy grail: a pristine woodland in the Rhodope Mountains, untouched for centuries. Massive spruce trees draped in ancient lichens towered around him. No footpaths, no stumps, no human fingerprints anywhere. Until he checked his map on the way home and discovered something that changed everything…

Welcome to WILDCARD: The Forest Game, the scientific podcast that explores Europe's rewilding revolution through real ecological detective stories. Episode one reveals how nature's extraordinary recovery powers can fool even expert researchers - and why understanding this matters for Europe's environmental future.

Credits

«WILDCARD. The Forest Game» is a podcast production written by Silvia Giralucci for the WILDCARD project and Starter.

Scientific Supervisor: Giorgio Alberti, University of Udine

Editorial Supervisor: Gesche Schifferdecker, European Forest Institute

Voice-over: Rahel Könen, European Forest Institute

Post-production: Santiago Alarcón, European Forest Institute

Graphic design and visuals: Gabriela Rueda, European Forest Institute

Learn more about the WILDCARD project:

www.wildcard-project.eu

European Forest Institute: www.efi.int

Follow us also on LinkedIn: WILDCARD project