The Rewilding Working Group was assembled with five principles in mind:

(1) To achieve a geographical balance in representation from the Global North and South, covering the wide range of contexts in which rewilding is being practiced or considered;

(2) To maintain a gender balance;

(3) To encourage cultural diversity;

(4) To include expertise on social, ecological, legal and policy aspects of rewilding, plus a balance of technical and applied experience;

(5) To enable linkages to other IUCN commissions and initiatives.

Based on these principles, the co-chairs canvassed an initial set of potential members, who then suggested others in a snow-balling fashion. Over a 4 months period in 2021, the co-chairs engaged >50 people, and through self-selection (considering their interest and time availability) this was refined to 15 people, which was considered to be an effective and manageable group size. Many of those approached wished to be involved, but only indirectly through an ad-hoc consultation process (leading the co-chairs to set up a Consultation Group, open to all). These 15 members include specialists from a range of disciplines across the natural and social sciences and humanities, with expertise in environmental management, marine and terrestrial conservation, ecosystem dynamics, conflict mediation, social psychology, environmental law, veterinary sciences, tourism, urban ecology and sustainability.