Blean Vegetation May 2022
Donovan Wright

The Blean Wildscape

The Blean Wildscape is our vision for an iconic landscape, where wilderness can be experienced, and nature is at the heart of healthy communities with a thriving green economy. 

The Blean woodland complex

The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. In Kent, wildlife has suffered over recent decades from habitat loss due to poorly planned developments and pollution in our rivers and seas.  

Kent’s Blean complex is the largest area of continuous ancient woodland in southern England. It is a hotspot for the rare and iconic heath fritillary butterfly and Red-list woodland specialist birds, including lesser-spotted woodpeckers, nightingales and spotted flycatchers. Several invertebrate species thought extinct in the UK have also been recently recorded. With only 2.5% of the UK covered by ancient woodland, protecting every hectare is vital. 

The Blean Wildscape vision

Led by Kent Wildlife Trust, RSPB and the Woodland Trust, partners from across the Blean Wildscape have embarked on a journey that will see the future of the Blean secured to become a place not only visited for its outstanding wildlife and scenic woodlands but also recognised for its positive social and economic opportunities for the community.  

Click the images to expand and find out more!
Our collective vision: The Blean Wildscape is a biologically rich, extensive, connected, and resilient ancient woodland, managed through natural processes, where wildlife and people live harmoniously and provide hope for the future of protected areas across the UK.

Over the next 25 years, using a joined up approach, the Blean Wildscape Initiative will work with the community, landowners/managers and stakeholders from across the landscape to deliver our collective vision for this landscape. We will work collaboratively to unlock strategic opportunities for green investment to not only restore this precious landscape, but also realise benefits for local people and businesses.

The Blean Wildscape map with various coloured layers.

Our vision

Over the next 25 years, using a joined up approach, the Blean Wildscape Initiative will work with the community, landowners/managers and stakeholders from across the landscape to deliver our collective vision for this landscape. We will work collaboratively to unlock strategic opportunities for green investment to not only restore this precious landscape, but also realise benefits for local people and businesses.
View vision map

Over the past two years, we have worked with a wide range of stakeholders, partners and the wider community to shape the vision for the landscape. Thanks to funding from Rewilding Britain, we have built a strong evidence base which will provide a roadmap for delivering a connected landscape, healthy ecosystems and a thriving community.  

Learn more about the process of creating the vision and our evidence base below.

Creating the Blean Wildscape vision

Wilder Kent Safari in the Blean

Tom Cawdron

Phase 1: Wilding at West Blean and Thornden Woods

Aim: Restoration of complete natural process to a lowland English woodland. The first phase of this long-term project was the introduction of European bison into West Blean and Thornden Woods in 2022: the first step towards a Wilder Blean. These large grazing herbivores, along with longhorn cattle, Exmoor ponies and Iron-Age pigs, have been introduced to take over the woodland’s management. These animals act as ecosystem engineers; their natural behaviours return ecological processes that have been missing from UK woodlands for thousands of years, allowing human management to take a step back to restore a functional and thriving ecosystem and an abundance of wildlife.
Read more about the Wilder Blean project
Heath fritillary butterfly with its wings spread as it perches on a flower head

© Jim Higham

Phase 2: Creating the Blean Wildscape

Aim: Create a biologically rich, extensive, connected, and resilient landscape, managed through natural processes. As with many of the UK’s natural areas, the Blean landscape has been fragmented by farming and development. This has resulted in isolated pockets of woodland, limiting the movement of wildlife and grazing animals and making public access across the Blean restricted.

  • Reconnecting the landscape

    Our long-term vision is to rebuild ecological connectivity across the Blean landscape by working with private landowners and managers collaboratively.  

    This could be through the expanding areas of land for conservation through both acquisition and conservation agreements with engaged landowners, facilitating change on marginal agricultural land through finance models driven by Nature-based Solutions and creating connectivity between core areas through habitat corridors and wildlife-friendly infrastructure such as bridges and tunnels.  

  • Creating a resilient ecosystem

    Natural grazing by herbivorous animals is critical to the health and resilience of many of our ecosystems. This relatively simple solution of natural management can enhance biodiversity by opening up landscapes, allowing a diverse range of plants to thrive. Habitats like woodlands are then more resilient to climate change with boosted carbon storage capabilities, reducing the risk of catastrophic floods and fires. Read more about Wilder Grazing.

  • Building a community voice

    People are at the heart of the Blean Wildscape. Without them this project cannot succeed. Given the local communities’ proximity to the woods and the bond they have with this landscape, it’s essential to establish close links with community, ensuring they are involved in the decision-making process and are empowered to take positive actions for nature. 

  • Catalysing a green economy

    Over seven million people visit Canterbury, Whitstable and the surrounding areas annually. Despite a growing interest in sustainable tourism and experiences which help people connect with nature, many visitors to East Kent are unaware of the Blean. This presents an opportunity for the increasing number of eco-tourism businesses operating within the Blean landscape and  

Together, we can create an iconic landscape

The key to the success of the Wilder Blean is collaboration. By working together and addressing the needs of wildlife and people, we can create an iconic landscape alongside the likes of the New Forest and Lake District. By thinking about landscape-scale conservation in a whole new way and acknowledging the different aspirations for the Blean, we hope to create a sustainable, long-term future for the Blean.

There are lots of ways to get involved with the project and will determine the future of the Blean. Do you have a farm or land in the Blean landscape with an area that could contribute to habitat corridors? Are you a keen naturalist and fancy joining the Blean Wildscape Community Group? If you would like more information or to get involved with any aspect of the project, please get in touch. 

Contact us

Wilder Kent Safari in the Blean
Tom Cawdron

Join us!

Join our Blean Wildscape Community Advisory Group! We want members of the local community to get involved in the Wilder Blean Initiative. Share your passion for your local area, have a voice in decision making and contribute meaningful actions for nature in the Blean. Everyone is welcome.

Get in touch
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