Rewilding means rebuilding natural ecosystems after human disturbance. "Human disturbance" means a landscape which has been ecologically degraded. The focus is on reestablishing biodiversity, natural processes, and food webs to create resilient ecosystems.

Fungal rewilding means recovery and support of belowground fungal communities. Healthy belowground fungal communities support aboveground ecosystem recovery, biodiversity, resilience, and climate regulation. The majority of Earth's biodiversity is located belowground.

Fungal rewilding processes seek to restore and recreate ecosystem conditions which support fungal biodiversity. In other words, conditions which support the symbiotic relationships mycorrhizal fungi form with plants.

Rewilding can be intentional, for example with the introduction of large mammals, or passive, through withdrawing human management and allowing natural processes to return. The main goals are to reduce biodiversity loss and reinstate functional ecosystems, even under changing environments. Rewilding attempts to return ecosystems to their original trophic structure and previous processes, but not necessarily the same species composition. The goal is a return to the key ecological functions that were present before a disturbance, even if the same species no longer deliver the services.

Up to 30% of Earth's soils are classified as moderately to highly degraded. Rewilding offers solutions for restoring degraded ecosystems. Fungal rewilding can help recover belowground biodiversity, and damage to underground biodiversity from various impacts: agricultural chemicals, cattle ranching, overgrazing, deforestation, mining etc.