Deep in the Sussex countryside, there's a once farm called Knepp where something rather special has happened. The monoculture agriculture has stopped. Chemicals are no longer sprayed. Close to native species of pigs and horses have been introduced to replicate natural grazing patterns. Wild plants flourish. And nature is pretty much left to do its thing.
Knepp is the pioneer example of what rewilding could look like in the UK. I was lucky enough to have visited last year and I found the experience so incredible (see my previous blog on my trip online here). As a wild plant lover, this place felt like such a haven to me. We were there around this time last year, and I have never seen such a beautiful abundance of haw berries and sloes.
The rewilding ethos is spreading - Rewilding Britain lists a number of rewilding projects underway across the UK. Last year, there was a documentary called "Wild Isles" which attracted a really wide audience. And a recent Rewilding Britain Poll shows that 83% of the British public support rewilding. So, it definitely feels like momentum is gaining.
Yet, public understanding of what it means and why it's necessary can at times be low. The Guardian reported last week that in Derby in the UK, residents instigated a "meadow mutiny" in response to their local Council's rewilding scheme - going out to cut the grass themselves. This demonstrates the difference of opinion on this subject and the need for more awareness raising about the benefits.
In this blog, I cover:
What is rewilding?
Rewilding Britian states that:
"In a nutshell, it is the large-scale restoration of nature until it can take care of itself – and us – again. It’s about restoring nature’s remarkable web of life, including habitats, natural processes and, where appropriate, missing species."
They identify 4 key features:
Supporting people and nature together in flourishing ecosystems
Letting nature lead - with the reintroduction of keystone species where appropriate
Creating resilient economies with livelihoods that thrive alongside and enrich nature
Working at nature's scale - there needs to be enough space for this to work, and projects should ideally be joined up
Benefits to be secured for the long term and future generations.
So what does this landscape look like? Interestingly, in her book 'Wilding', Knepp owner Isabella Tree talks about how the traditional view that Europe was covered by closed canopy is actually misinformed. Rather, it is understood that there would have been a mosaics of woodlands, grasslands, scrub, and open areas—maintained by large herbivores such as aurochs, bison, and wild horses. This is why Knepp has introduced large herbivores such as the Tamworth pigs to their estate. Through their grazing, these animals in turn create ecosystems for other plants, insects and animals to thrive. They stop one particular species of plant or tree dominating as often happens if a plot is left to grow wild.
How wild is the world now?
An aerial view of many landscapes across the world shows how hugely dominated our planet has become by humankind. Climb a hill or mountain, go on a plane, or even check out google Earth, and observe how even 'green' areas are in fact by and large completely dominated by us. This is anecdotal, so what is the actual state of affairs on the ground?
Well, between 1937 and 2020, the percentage of wilderness left on Earth fell from 66% to 35%.
These are facts shared by Sir David Attenborough in his 2020 documentary "A Life on our Planet", where he charts the decline of nature across his lifetime (I highly recommend watching it!). The figures are stark, and they have been on my mind ever since. I don't say this to trigger existential guilt, which I think can be overwhelming with all the environmental challenges we face today - but we have to start with a realistic understanding of where we are before we can move forward.
How can it be that we as humans dominate 65% of the planet?!
There is an international framework that rewilding efforts contribute to. The UN Biodiversity Goals aim to conserve 30% of terrestrial and marine areas by 2030 to protect biodiversity, ecosystems, and mitigate climate change. As of 2022, approximately 16-17% of the world’s terrestrial areas are protected in away that meets the criteria with the UN goals.
Rewilding and UN biodiversity goals overlap in their aim to restore ecosystems and protect biodiversity, but while rewilding focuses specifically on restoring natural processes and reintroducing native species with minimal human intervention, the UN goals take a broader approach that includes sustainable development, pollution reduction, and the protection of both natural and human-modified landscapes.
As we look towards the COP16 biodiversity conference which is taking plance from the 21st October, there has been much press focus on global progress towards the biodiversity goals. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in a recent speech at Kew Gardens,
"We must not just halt, but reverse the decline in global biodiversity. Sometimes we become numb to the scale of the nature crisis. One million species facing extinction, including one third of both marine mammals and coral reefs." - David Lammy, UK Foreign Secretary
It will be interesting to see what this amounts to in terms of budgetary spend. The Carbon Brief's recent investigation found that just to meet its global funding commitments, the UK will have to double its spend which will need to rise to more than £800m a year for the next two years to hit the target, amounting to nearly £1.7bn by 2026.
How are countries progressing towards the biodiversity goals?
I thought it would be interesting to dig down a bit to see how the UK is doing against its targets, compared to other countries internationally. I have chosen France and Germany, as close European neighbours, as examples; and also added the USA in too.
The table below highlights where the UK stands in relation to its international comparators, in terms of progress to the 2030 goals for protecting land, % woodland cover (including native/near native), and agricultural land cover.
Table 1: Country land cover
UK | France | Germany | USA | |
progress towards UN Biodiversity Goals | 5 - 7% | c27% | 38% | 12-13% |
% woodland cover | 13.2% | 31% | 32% | 33% |
of which is native woodland | c.50% is native, 50% is commercial connifer Woodland Trust) | 40-50% of which is native, or near native | 40-45% of which is native, or near native | 60-70% is native or near native |
% agricultural land | 71% | 54% | 47% | 40-41% |
Of course, the stats above are just headlines, and it gets more complex the more you dig into them. The USA for example has the highest % of woodland cover, but much of it is privately owned and therefore not necessarily protected according to the 2030 goals. France and Germany have a lot of land protected but there is ongoing analysis as to the effectiveness of this protection.
What is clear is that the UK is doing worse for biodiversity by EVERY metric. Even government spokespeopl admit that the UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. Rewilding Britain state that we have only just half (53%) of our biodiversity remaining - so we're in the bottom 10% of the world's countries for state of nature!
Benefits of Rewilding
So why is it important to get this right?
Climate change benefits of rewilding
Rewilding is crucial for carbon capture because it restores natural ecosystems that act as powerful carbon sinks. This covers forests, peatlands, and grasslands which absorb and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. For example, healthy forests sequester large amounts of CO₂ through photosynthesis, while restored peatlands, which store significant amounts of carbon in their soils, can prevent the release of previously captured carbon.
According to a 2019 study in Nature, reforestation could potentially sequester up to 205 billion tons of CO₂ globally if all suitable areas were reforested. This highlights global tree restoration as one of the most effective carbon drawdown solutions to date, with the potential to store an equivalent of 25% of the current atmospheric carbon pool.
In the UK, Rewilding Britain calculate in their Rewilding and Climate Breakdown report that restoring and protecting native woodland, peatlands, heaths and species-rich grasslands over seven million hectares of Britain (30% of our land) could capture and store 53 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. That’s more than 12% of current UK greenhouse gas emissions.
It's important to note though how important native species of wild plants are to carbon capture:
Native forests typically contain a greater variety of tree species and age structures compared to non-native or monoculture plantations. This diversity leads to a higher overall biomass (the amount of living material), which directly correlates to increased carbon storage in both the vegetation and soil.
Native forests tend to be more resilient to diseases, pests, and environmental stressors like drought or extreme weather, meaning they are more likely to remain healthy over time and continue to store carbon.
Native woodlands typically have deeper, more complex root systems, which help to sequester more carbon in the soil.
Interestingly, the Woodland Trust's State of Woods and Trees (2021) found that Britain's woodlands hold 213 million tonnes of carbon in their living trees, of which ancient and long established woodlands hold 77 million tonnes (36%) despite only making up 25% of the woods.
Biodiversity benefits of rewilding
Globally, biodiversity loss is accelerating, with 1 million species at risk of extinction due to habitat destruction, pollution, climate change, and over-exploitation. The WWF 2018 Living Planet Index shows a decline of around 60% in global wildlife populations between 1970 and 2014.
In the UK, people have been noticing this year that there has been a massive decline in insects. Most recently the Big Butterfly Count found that 2023 was the lowest year on record for butterflies, finding that just over 935,000 butterflies and day-flying moths were recorded across the UK during the survey this year during 12 July - 4 August. - 600,000 less than were recorded in 2023. And 9000 counters recorded seeing no butterflies at all. The Butterfly Conservation charity is calling for the banning of neonicotinoids, pesticides which are harmful to pollinators. Could rewilding also help?
Rewilding can yield significant benefits for crucial species like butterflies. This is logical, as the ecosystem is intricate and our indigenous wildlife and plants developed in tandem. A natural forest will exhibit greater biodiversity due to its richer species composition compared to a conifer plantation (or monoculture farmland), providing plants that insects and animals have evolved to rely on.
At Knepp, which as I mentioned I was lucky enough to have visited last year, they now have the greatest population of purple emperor butterflies in the UK, having had none recorded there before 2010. Knepp is also a great haven for other wildlife - it is now a breeding hotspot for critically endangered nightingales and turtle doves. They have also reintroduced species such as White Storks, which had disappeared from Britain.
I also love this story of an ancient honeybee, thought to be extinct, found thriving in Blenheim palace's ancient woodland a few years ago.
Rewilding - what hope for the future?
There is a long way to go to fix the imbalance that exists in terms of land use, but I think rewilding has a lot that it can offer.
Rewilding Britain's manifesto calls for the following:
Rapidly deliver 30% rewilding by 2030: Catalyse rewilding to help us transition to a nature-rich, low-carbon future while delivering real, locally-generated benefits today.
Expand nature-based jobs and businesses: Incentivise and invest in nature-based economies linked to rewilding as part of a just, green transition.
Make wild nature a right for all: Improve access to and restore our connection with wilder nature to benefit all our health and wellbeing.
Empower communities to lead rewilding: Place people and communities at the heart of decisions about our land and seas and its recovery.
Create a game-changing shift in rewilding funding and investment: Drive long-term, sustainable, public and private investment into 30% rewilding delivery within a financial system that values and invests in nature.
If you're in the UK you can join their campaign and email your MP here.
Put simply, where should we focus?
Everyone doing their bit: And starting small can have a big impact - gardens make up 5% of the land in England, so joining in with Plant Life's No Mow May is a great step. I've also written a blog on introducing wild flowers into your garden if you're looking for inspiration. You can also find a great guide of steps you can take on the Rewilding Britain website- things like allowing decay, introducing native species, and ensuring water for wildlife.
Wild bellts around cities: Responding to the butterfly crisis I mentioned earlier, Natural Engladn Chief Tony Juniper has suggested that the new UK government’s housebuilding plans were a big opportunity to invest in wildlife habitats in England, particularly through the creation of “wild belts” around cities so that people can be more connected with nature and so feel more inclined to protect it:
"It is about developing the future mandate for nature as a result of people having a personal connection with it" - Tony Juniper, Chief of Natural England
Large land owners: One key element will be encouraging large land owners to join the party as much as possible. In the UK, there is a campaign to encourage the Church of England (one of the biggest land owners) to conserve 30% of their land for nature in line with the biodiversity goals. The tagline, "What would Jesus Do?", is quite catching.
Fixing our national parks: There has been a lot in the press about the dire state of the UK's national parks, with campaigners saying that private ownership is a big issue, accounting for 595k out of 7.5m acres of land covered by Britain's national parks. The Guardian also recently published an investigation of the boards of our national parks, calling for an overhaul.
Agriculture: As we've seen, agriculture makes ap a huge percentage of land - especially in the UK. While monoculture agriculture is undoubtedly terrible for the environment (especially if it involves pesticides), the UK's new Environment Land Management Scheme (ELMS) has apparently had a positive impact for birds, bees and butterflies. An average of 25% more breeding birds were found in areas with more eco-friendly schemes.
Concluding thoughts
The more I look into rewilding the more amazed I am of its benefits. I've been watching the Rewilding Britain campaign develop over the past few years and it's so inspiring to see how far it has come. I hope that one day in the not so distant future an aerial view of Britain will look quite different, with 30% of land genuinely restored for nature (and people) connected by wild corridors.
I hope that the upcoming COP16 will renew momentum in these issues, and highlight the scale of collective action needed to halt and reverse the ecological breakdown we are going through. Surely, we can do this before it is too late?!
I'd love to hear what you think, so please do leave a comment below.
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