Rewilding resources
From inspiring reads to innovative projects, delve deeper into rewilding
Bedtime reading
Rewilding by ecologists Paul Jepson and Cain Blythe (Icon Books) offers an accessible exploration of the science of rewilding. Wilding by Isabella Tree (Picador) beautifully illuminates over 20 years of rewilding at the Knepp Estate in West Sussex, while Bird, Beasts and Bedlam by farmer and conservationist Derek Gow (Chelsea Green Publishing) explores his role in the reintroduction of beaver, water voles and white storks, and the transformation of his farm into a wildlife breeding centre. Rewilding: Bringing Wildlife Back Where It Belongs by David A. Steen is a lovely, illustrated introduction for young people.
Rewilding the mind
With the growing interest in the link between mental health and biophilia – the natural human need to connect with nature – the concept of ‘rewilding the mind’ is gaining traction. While not an official manifesto for personal rewilding, Raynor Winn’s powerful memoir, The Salt Path (Penguin/Michael Joseph) and follow-up book, The Wild Silence, reveals the transformative power of living wild, and later follows their journey as they restore nature on a neglected farm.
Easy listening
The Reintroduction & Rewilding Summit podcast by Birds of Poole Harbour sees Charlie Mores interview a series of wildlife restoration leaders about diverse projects. The Rewilding Earth podcast takes a global view, exploring conservation ideas and projects from Alaska to Namibia and the Mississippi river. Scotland Outdoors from BBC Radio Scotland is not specifically focused on rewilding, but is a fascinating exploration of native wildlife in Scotland, while the UK Wildlife Podcast celebrates wildlife stories from across the country.
Online inspiration
Rewildingbritain.org.uk is a brilliant resource for information on rewilding and profiles a variety of interesting projects. For a Europe-wide view, go to rewildingeurope.com to discover diverse projects including reintroducing free-ranging horses and bison in the Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria and the rewilding of Griffon vultures in the Central Apennines of Italy.
Support a project
A new national wildlife charity identifies land suitable for rewilding, such as former farms, green belt or lower grade land, which can be purchased and allowed to regenerate naturally. Heal Rewilding (healrewilding.org.uk) enables individuals and businesses to ‘sponsor a square’ and aims to use the land to enable nature to thrive, to help combat climate change and improve people’s wellbeing.
See rewilding in action
Sensitively managed sustainable tourism is often a key form of financial support for rewilding projects. At Coombeshead in Devon (rewildingcoombeshead.co.uk), where 300 acres of former farmland are now home to a flourishing rewilding project, you can camp in the meadows and enjoy guided wildlife tours to see beaver, wild pigs, ponies and water buffalo. At Knepp (kneppsafaris.co.uk), you can camp and go on a safari or guided walking tour, with a range of wildlife themes. In the Highlands, former hunting estate Alladale Nature Reserve (alladale.com) is home to conservation projects and breeding pairs of golden and white-tailed sea eagles.
A right royal campaign
Ahead of the COP21 Summit last year, in an unprecedented move, Buckingham Palace opened its gates to receive a petition signed by 100,000 people from a procession led by naturalist and TV presenter Chris Packham. The petition was organised by campaign groups Wild Card and 38 Degrees, and the ‘Rewild Royal Land’ campaign calls for the monarchy to lead the way and allow the Crown estates to be rewilded to boost biodiversity and help prevent climate change. Discussions between the campaigners and the Crown Estate have apparently already proved positive. Read the full letter at wildcard.land/letter.
A new way of farming
Some rewilding schemes adopt an innovative approach to agriculture, too. Jake Fiennes, brother to actors Ralph and Joseph, is the characterful conservation manager at the Holkham Estate in Norfolk, one of the country’s largest historic country estates, which has pioneered a partnership approach to farming and rewilding. As his book Land Healer: How Farming Can Save Britain’s Countryside (BBC Books) explains, Holkham has successfully transformed former agricultural land into wetland nature reserves, attracting hundreds of rare birds, who share the habitat with a herd of 800 cattle.
From land to sea
Rewilding at sea is more challenging than on land, with overfishing, intensive fish farming, pollution, seabed dredging and offshore development to contend with, as well as the difficulty of breeding keystone species. But marine rewilding projects are in progress, including the restoration of saltmarsh habitats in the Blackwater Estuary, Essex (essexwt.org. uk); the ‘Help our Kelp’ project on the Sussex coast (sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/ helpourkelp); and a seabed restoration project to rebuild the native oyster population in the Humber, Yorkshire (ywt.org.uk).