We need to raise vital funds to support the bison as they carry out their important work. Find out more about how your business can become a Bison Benefactor.
With over 5 billion reach the award winning Wilder Blean project has received international interest and is leading the way towards a new era of conservation. Now in the second phase the Wilder Blean Initiative will connect our fragmented landscapes so that greater areas of nature can thrive through the benefits the bison, cattle, horses and pigs bring to this ancient woodland.
Since arriving in West Blean and Thornden Woods in 2022 the bison herd has grown. In December of that year, we welcomed the bull and the chance for the herd to breed, but little did we know one of our bison was already expecting and soon we welcomed our first ever UK-born wild bison calf. Our bison, thriving in their new environment continued to explore their new home and we soon welcomed another calf, the first one conceived and born free-roaming in a UK woodland for generations.
We are the proud custodians of the UK's first ever herd of free-roaming bison, this ground-breaking conservation project is shaping the future of our relationship with wildlife. These magnificent herbivores work tirelessly to promote biodiversity and climate resilience, and we owe it to them to help them thrive in the ancient Blean Wildscape. By becoming a bison benefactor you can sponsor a member of the Bison herd, help us build bison bridges so that the bison can freely roam in over 200 hectares of the forest giving more space for these biodiversity boosting herbivores to do what they do best! We are asking you to help us make conservation history by becoming a Bison Benefactor today, will you join the herd?
Simply choose from one of the below options designed to suit any budget and level of involvement in the programme. Whichever you choose you will be supporting this groundbreaking project and helping reach our next milestones.
Sponsor the Calves - £3k
The future of these wonderous animals. The calves are ever growing, roaming and exploring their surroundings, learning continuously how to thrive in their environment - learnings that we too must make.
Sponsor the Bull - £10,000
Growing and protecting the herd, the Bulls gigantic stature showcases his strength and ensures the herd's safety in the wild.
Sponsor the Matriarch - £15,000
Guiding the Herd, the Matriarch is crucial to establishing a healthy ecosystem, she brings calm, order and wisdom.
Sponsor the Herd - £25,000
Walking together, protecting each other, and each playing their part - the Herd is a curated ecosystem of its own. Together they are a force for good, helping nature thrive and ensuring that our future is one of climate resilience.
We are asking you to help us make conservation history by becoming a Bison Benefactor today, will you join the herd?
We need to raise these vital funds to support the bison as they carry out their important work. These giant herbivores can have a life-sustaining impact if given the chance.
You will help create space – giving bison the chance to move across landscapes, shape the habitat around them, and be able to choose where they forage, ruminate, what they eat, and where they breed.
You will help instruct change – collecting data, monitoring impact, and evidencing our findings are crucial. To do this we need to collect samples of the soil, monitor the variety and density of plants and insects, we need to track the habits of the herd so we can understand their movements, their preferences, and their needs.
You will help influence – we must not keep these findings to ourselves. One of the most important things we can do, but only with your help, is showcase our bison and their impact. We must host change-makers, we must share findings, and we must advocate for a wilder future.
By working together, you can make a significant difference in helping us to deliver a wilder Kent. What’s more, by sponsoring a bison, or all of our herd, you will have your company’s name forever associated with the pioneering Wilder Blean Project at its home in West Blean and Thornden Woods.
With your help, we can deliver our wilding vision on a greater scale. Your sponsorship will allow us to open up more of the woodland to the animals, grow our ground-breaking monitoring programme, and support our educational initiatives throughout schools in Kent. It will also help us maintain our accessible trails, create a story trail for families, and improve the onsite facilities to encourage more people to experience the benefits of nature by visiting the reserve.
We have come so far, this is the first wilding project of its kind in the UK. In setting up this initiative we have formed the blueprint for a better future that will encourage an abundance of biodiversity and help our landscape adapt to climate change. These magnificent animals are already helping us to evidence a better, more natural, way of managing our landscape. Their natural behaviours have many positive effects such as creating standing deadwood and dust-bathing sites to bring light to the woodland floor so a more diverse range of wildlife can return. They help to restore the woods to its former glory, before human intervention and planting trees to harvest.
We have a vision to restore nature at scale, and we need your help us turn that ambition into reality. In return for your generous sponsorship, packages are available with a raft of benefits, including your business name on a plaque within the woodland, exclusive Wilder Blean experiences, and the all-important bison cuddly toy, sustainably sourced and made from recycled materials.
If you are interested in joining the herd, we would love to hear from you and we will be more than happy to support you on your fundraising journey.
If this is not the right choice for you, but you would still like to support us, we would welcome your donation.
Partnering with Kent Wildlife Trust as a member would mean aligning your business with a local charity that has a global impact. We are proud to have over 32,000 members and look after over 90 nature reserves across Kent.
As the herd continues to grow, we're increasing connectivity within the Wilder Blean project so the herd have more room to roam. Will you help us?
