We're taking part in the Big Give Christmas Challenge, which means for one week from 2nd - 9th December, any donations made will be doubled through Big Give!
As part of our multi-year KWT Nature Restoration Fund designed to power recovery through a series of targeted fundraising sprints, we are shining the light on our woodland habitats. Funds raised during this sprint contribute to our overall target to raise £3m for nature.
By 2030, we envision a county where woodlands teem with birdsong, burst with butterflies and insects, and tangle with diverse, vibrant plant life. A county where woodlands are more climate-resilient and begin to regenerate for generations to come.
The Wilder Blean is our flagship woodland wilding project here in Kent where, in partnership with Wildwood Trust, we are pioneering a new approach to nature recovery. This December, you could double your donation to the Fund by giving between the 2nd and 9th. Generous match donors - including our Big Give Champion match funders, the Reed Foundation - have already pledged half of the £75,000 we need to raise in this time frame. Help us unlock these funds by donating and your gift will have twice the impact!
© Jim Higham
Woodlands are home to a cacophony of native species. From breeding to hibernating to ruminating, this precious habitat protects and promotes all aspects of their lives. In turn, their natural behaviours contribute to the health of our planet.
Trees are amazing carbon sinks. We rely on woodlands to absorb CO2 and release the oxygen we breathe!
Despite deforestation, many precious woodland sites remain, providing a connection to centuries of history, mythology, and folklore.
Spending time in woodlands, and nature more broadly, brings a huge number of benefits to our physical and mental health and wellbeing.
Despite this, just 7% of the UK's woodlands are in good condition. Ancient woodlands are irreplaceable; they support more species than any other land-based habitat and are home to iconic plants and animals – like bluebells, dormice, and lesser-spotted woodpeckers. But up to 70% have been lost or damaged in the last century.
Read more about life without woodlands here.
Longhorn cow at Covert Wood
Bluebells at Hoad's Wood
Great spotted woodpecker
Sleeping dormouse
Fox at Kiln Wood
Wood anenomes at Blean Wood
Kent Wildlife Trust is driving a pioneering ‘Wilding’ approach which harnesses the power of nature to restore thriving woodlands.
We’re expanding and regenerating native woodland, especially through projects like Wilder Blean, creating rich, dynamic ecosystems where species like nightingales, dormice and lesser spotted woodpeckers can thrive.
In 2022, we, and Wildwood Trust, introduced European bison – known as ‘ecosystem engineers’ for their ability to naturally manage habitats – into West Blean woods, alongside Iron Age pigs, longhorn cattle, and Exmoor ponies. This innovative, experimental project is helping to create a sustainable model that can be replicated to support nature recovery across other woodlands in Kent and the UK.
A world without woodlands would be a living nightmare – instead, let’s envision our county brimming with Wilder Woodlands.
We're taking part in the Big Give Christmas Challenge to raise money for Wilder Blean: Wilder Woodlands. This means you can double your donation in December - we need to raise £75,000 between 2nd-9th December and generous match donors (including the Reed Foundation) have already pledged half.
These vital funds will help deliver critical aspects of the 'Wilder Blean' project in 2026.
Alongside our conservation partners, we are committed to delivering this long-term flagship project. Raising funds as we go, we aim to demonstrate that nature-based solutions can provide a more sustainable approach to woodland management. Transferring management to those that do it best will allow us to gradually reduce the need for costly and labour-intensive human intervention in the woodlands.
Signs of recovery are seen in abundance throughout the Wilder Blean and our expert Bison Rangers have already recorded rare fungi, butterflies, the protected Fiery Clearwing Moth, and even discovered dung beetles. The bison’s natural behaviours, like grazing, dustbathing, and bark stripping are creating new habitat for species. But this is only the beginning.
With your help to invest in this pioneering project we can expect the woodlands to thrive and species like woodpeckers, bats, and dormice to return once more. The project will also be used as an example for other areas of woodland in the UK and further afield, creating sustainable wilding models which can be replicated elsewhere, and therefore contributing to national nature security.
...who look after our herd of wild bison (as part of the Blean Bison project in partnership with Wildwood Trust) – the first in the UK for thousands of years – and other grazing animals, supporting them to naturally manage 300ha of woodland habitat.
...who are using traditional conservation management – including coppicing and invasive species removal – within separate woodland compartments. This work is enabling us to compare the impact of natural v. human-led management.
Over time, land becomes fragmented which weakens our defense against climate change and stops wildlife from roaming. Innovation and green infrastructure like our Bison Bridges help to correct this by rejoining habitats and removing barriers for wildlife.
