Re-wilding is about re-storing natural processes. It can be thought of as a re-imagining of what a thriving natural environment can look like and a re-awakening of people’s connection to nature. However, too often this gets equated to re-turning to the past or re-creating a point in history.
In dropping the ‘re’ and imagining a natural world that is wilder, connected and meets the needs of people today – we have ‘Wilding’.
Wilding challenges the status quo; it asks the question: “How abundant can wildlife be?” and demands action to make that happen. In the face of ever-mounting climate and biodiversity crises, wilding is a vision of hope that provides nature-based solutions that are sustainable and scalable.
If we are to meet this challenge, we must recognise the failings of the past and dream bigger to restore our degraded habitats and return our lost species. This is exactly what projects like Wilder Blean and the return of the red-billed chough seek to do. They are our flag in the ground that says, “We move forward together from this point”.
Returning missing species to our landscapes is not only a ‘nice-to-have’, it is fundamental to their effective functioning. We know that trees suck carbon out of the air (at no cost) and that green spaces are critical to our wellbeing.
What other benefits might there be if we only gave nature the tools to manage itself? This is why wilding is not a case of walking away, it is the active restoration of ecosystems by returning the key drivers that have been lost.
From mega herbivores like bison that can engineer the woodlands around them, to beavers that can engineer our waterways to be more resilient to flooding and drought. Sometimes the effects are obvious but others we are only just beginning to discover; choughs may have a role in regulating insect populations and bison may help to control invasive species. That’s what makes wilding so exciting.
Even if we don’t know all the benefits of restored ecosystems right now, we can be sure that our lives will be much richer for it and make incredible discoveries along the way.
Since bison were released into West Blean and Thornden Woods on the outskirts of Canterbury, they have not only transformed the landscape but significantly grown in number.
Ground-breaking wilding project welcomes the birth of two female bison calves
Since 2022, the UK has sworn in four new prime ministers, the interest rate has risen from 0.25% to 5.25%, and, as of the 18th July, bison have been in the Blean for two whole years.
