A few weeks ago, our bison rangers made the incredible discovery that one of the Wilder Blean bison had successfully given birth to a healthy baby bison. As a growing family, they are going to need as much space as possible -  we need your help to give these bison a bigger home. 

The bison are hard at work, creating a Wilder Blean by restoring the ancient West Blean and Thornden Woods, and the baby bison will be joining this team of ecosystem heroes to help create a wilder future. We need your help to maximise the space these bison have to roam, utilising their natural behaviours to allow wildlife to thrive. Your donation will give this bison family the space they need to grow, and help create a bigger, better, more biodiverse home for wildlife in Kent. 

Our wildlife is in crisis. The UK's natural systems face collapse and wildlife numbers continue to plummet. Species in the UK are declining at their fastest rate for thousands of years; 56% of them are in decline, 165 are critically endangered, and animals that were once synonymous with the British countryside have all but disappeared. Traditional conservation techniques are failing and human management is not enough to create the kinds of habitat wildlife needs. 

A systemic change is needed for nature-led recovery to the crisis we face; the key to sustainable habitat management is using a wilder approach to create nature recovery networks of bigger, better, joined-up habitat. We need natural solutions. 

Wilding is when nature is given the space and tools it needs to recover, creating an abundance of biodiversity at levels far beyond what human management alone can achieve. Together, Kent Wildlife Trust and Wildwood Trust have embarked on a flagship wilding project in West Blean and Thornden Woods, introducing bison as natural engineers of restoration. These gentle woodland giants will transform the woods into a lush, thriving, biodiverse environment, and allow us to take a step back from traditional hands-on management practices.  

As a keystone species, bison act as ecosystem engineers, helping nature to recover and restoring the natural biodiversity of a landscape. Their natural behaviours - grazing, dust bathing, eating bark, and felling trees - can all have a really positive impact on the ecosystem, creating space for other species to thrive. The bison are experts in the natural restoration of woodlands, and are the best solution for creating a wilder ecosystem. 

*All donations made to Wilder Blean will be used to support our Wilder Blean vision. In the event that we exceed the amount needed for this project it will be used in this area for the years to come wherever the need it greatest.

Please note: you are donating to support the wilding of the Blean. You will not own the plot of land or have any rights attaching to the land. The allocation of squares is to provide donors with reassurance and transparency over how their funds are supporting our projects. Please ask if you have any questions by emailing membership@kentwildlife.org.uk.