Free-ranging longhorn cattle at Knepp Wildland

Knepp Wildland is the first major lowland

rewilding Rewilding is a form of ecological restoration aimed at increasing biodiversity and restoring natural processes. It differs from other forms of ecological restoration in that rewilding aspires to reduce human influence on ecosystems. It is also d ...

project in England. It comprises of former arable and dairy farmland in the grounds of

Knepp Castle The medieval Knepp Castle (sometimes referred to as 'Old Knepp Castle', to distinguish it from the nearby 19th-century mansion) is to the west of the village of West Grinstead, West Sussex, England near the River Adur and the A24 road (Great Bri ...

, in

West Sussex West Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Cr ...

. Since 2000 when the conversion from intensive agriculture started, the land now supports many rare species including turtle doves,

barbastelle bat The western barbastelle (''Barbastella barbastellus''), also known as the barbastelle or barbastelle bat, is a European bat in the genus ''Barbastella''. This species is found from Portugal to Azerbaijan and from Sweden to Canary Islands, where ...

slow-worm The common slow worm (''Anguis fragilis'') is a species of legless lizard native to western Eurasia. It is also called a deaf adder, blindworm, or regionally, a long-cripple, steelworm, and hazelworm. The "blind" in blindworm refers to the lizar ...

s and

barred grass snake The barred grass snake (''Natrix helvetica'') is a non-venomous colubrid snake from Western Europe, living in and close to water. It was included within the grass snake species, ''Natrix natrix'', until August 2017, when genetic analysis led to i ...

s; it has become a major nesting site for

nightingale The common nightingale, rufous nightingale or simply nightingale (''Luscinia megarhynchos''), is a small passerine bird which is best known for its powerful and beautiful song. It was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, ...

s; a breeding hotspot for purple emperor butterflies; the site of the first

white stork The white stork (''Ciconia ciconia'') is a large bird in the stork family, Ciconiidae. Its plumage is mainly white, with black on the bird's wings. Adults have long red legs and long pointed red beaks, and measure on average from beak tip to en ...

chicks raised in the wild in England for 600 years, and is home to the first

beavers Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-large ...

living in the wild in Sussex for 400 years. On 17 November 2021, the very rare vagrant emperor dragonfly (''Anax ephippiger'') was discovered in one field.

History and results

After inheriting the farm at Knepp from his grandparents at the age of 21 in 1987, Sir Charles Burrell, 10th Baronet tried for 17 years to run the farm profitably. In 2000, he decided to sell the dairy herd and farm equipment to clear debts rather than take on even more debt in yet another attempt to increase productivity. The turning-point came in 2001, when he received Countryside Stewardship funding to restore the

Repton Repton is a village and civil parish in the South Derbyshire district of Derbyshire, England, located on the edge of the River Trent floodplain, about north of Swadlincote. The population taken at the 2001 census was 2,707, increasing to 2 ...

-designed parkland around the mansion; parkland that had been ploughed since

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In 2001, the Repton park around the old castle was seeded with grass and a local wild meadow seed mix; by the end of the year all the internal fences had been removed from the park and deer from

Petworth House Petworth House is a late 17th-century Grade I listed English country house, country house in the parish of Petworth, West Sussex, England. It was built in 1688 by Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset, and altered in the 1870s to the desi ...

had been introduced. Further inspired by a visit to the

Oostvaardersplassen The Oostvaardersplassen () is a nature reserve in the Netherlands, managed by the ''Staatsbosbeheer'' (state forestry service). Covering about in the province of Flevoland, it is an experiment in rewilding.Oostvaardersplassen is discussed, for e ...

nature reserve in the Netherlands in 2002 and by the

work Work may refer to: * Work (human activity), intentional activity people perform to support themselves, others, or the community ** Manual labour, physical work done by humans ** House work, housework, or homemaking ** Working animal, an ani ...

of Dutch ecologist Dr Frans Vera, Burrell set about establishing a 'hands-off', naturalistic grazing system across the entire estate. He used free-roaming herds of old

English Longhorn The Longhorn or British Longhorn is a British breed of beef cattle characterised by long curving horns. It originated in northern England, in the counties of Lancashire, Westmorland and Yorkshire, and later spread to the English Midlands and to ...

cattle,

Exmoor ponies The Exmoor Pony is a British breed of pony or small horse. It is one of the mountain and moorland pony breeds native to the British Isles, and so falls within the larger Celtic group of European ponies. It originates on, and is named for, the E ...

and

Tamworth pig The Tamworth is a British breed of domestic pig. It is the only red-coloured British pig. Its origins are unknown, but it appears to have developed near the town of Tamworth in south-eastern Staffordshire, close to Warwickshire border. It is on ...

s as proxies for the

aurochs The aurochs (''Bos primigenius''; or ; pl.: aurochs or aurochsen) is an extinct species of Bovini, bovine, considered to be the wild ancestor of modern domestic cattle. With a shoulder height of up to in bulls and in cows, it was one of t ...

tarpan The tarpan (''Equus ferus ferus'') was a free-ranging horse population of the Eurasian steppe from the 18th to the 20th century. What qualifies as a tarpan is subject to debate; it is unclear whether tarpans were genuine wild horses, feral domest ...

and

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a Suidae, suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The speci ...

that would once have roamed the British countryside, as well as

red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...

and

fallow deer Fallow deer is the common name for species of deer in the genus ''Dama'' of subfamily Cervinae. There are two living species, the European fallow deer (''Dama dama''), native to Europe and Anatolia, and the Persian fallow deer (''Dama mesopotamic ...

. In 2003, the project received additional funding from the

Countryside Stewardship Scheme The Countryside Stewardship Scheme was originally an agri-environment scheme run by the United Kingdom Government set up in 1991. In its original form it expired in 2014. It was relaunched for the Rural Development Programme England (RDPE) 2014-202 ...

, to extend the park restoration to all of the areas known as the Middle Block and the Northern Block. English Longhorn cattle were added in the same year. along with six Exmoor ponies. Two Tamworth sows followed, along with a further 23 Longhorn cattle in the Northern Block in 2004. By 2006, of the area known as the Southern Block had been left completely unmanaged for between one and six years. The first meeting of a steering group for the project was held the same year. In 2009,

raven A raven is any of several large-bodied passerine bird species in the genus '' Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between crows and ravens; the two names are assigne ...

s nested at Knepp for the first time in hundreds of years; 13 out of a total of 18 UK bat species were recorded that summer along with 15 ' UK Biodiversity Action Plan Priority Species' (four bats and 11 birds), 60 invertebrate species of conservation importance, and 76 additional species of moths. By March 2009, a perimeter fence around the Southern Block had been completed and 53 Longhorn cattle were introduced to the area, followed shortly afterwards by 23 Exmoor ponies, 20 Tamworth pigs and 42 fallow deer. Purple emperor butterflies were spotted for the first time at Knepp that year, and by 2015 it had become the largest breeding colony of purple emperors in the country. In 2010, the project received Higher Level

Environmental Stewardship Environmental stewardship (or planetary stewardship) refers to the responsible use and protection of the natural environment through active participation in conservation efforts and sustainable practices by individuals, small groups, nonprofit org ...

funding, by which time Knepp was supporting some 1% of all nesting nightingales in the UK, only nine years into the project. By 2011, there were 11 singing male turtle doves at Knepp. 2016 saw the first pair of breeding

falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Some small species of falcons with long, narrow wings are called hobbies, and some that hover while hunting are called kestrels. Falcons are widely distrib ...

s. In the same year, work was carried out on the

River Adur The Adur () is a river in Sussex, England; it gives its name to the Adur district of West Sussex. The river, which is long, was once navigable for large vessels up as far as Steyning, where there was a large Saxon port, but by the 11th centur ...

within the project boundaries to remove the artificial banks and allow the river to flood the surrounding meadows in a more natural way. In 2012, the

Environment Agency The Environment Agency (EA) is a non-departmental public body, established in 1996 and sponsored by the United Kingdom government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with responsibilities relating to the protection and enha ...

removed the largest

weir A weir or low-head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the water level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

and disabled the rest, and within a year

sea trout Sea trout is the common name usually applied to anadromous (sea-run) forms of brown trout (''Salmo trutta''), and is often referred to as ''Salmo trutta'' morpha ''trutta''. Other names for anadromous brown trout are bull trout, sewin (Wales ...

were spotted migrating up the river. In 2016 a

black stork The black stork (''Ciconia nigra'') is a large bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his ''Systema Naturae''. Measuring on average from beak tip to end of tail with a wingspan, t ...

, one of the rarest birds in Western Europe, was spotted, and 441 species of moth were recorded. Between 2015 and 2016, experts recorded 62 species of bee and 30 species of wasp, including seven bee and four wasp species of national conservation importance.

White stork The white stork (''Ciconia ciconia'') is a large bird in the stork family, Ciconiidae. Its plumage is mainly white, with black on the bird's wings. Adults have long red legs and long pointed red beaks, and measure on average from beak tip to en ...

were observed raising chicks in the UK for the first time in 600 years at Knepp in 2020.

Beaver Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-large ...

s were re-introduced to Knepp in February 2020, having been absent from Sussex for several hundred years. One of the beavers escaped in December that year. On 17 November 2021, the very rare vagrant emperor dragonfly (''Anax ephippiger'') was discovered in a field at Knepp.

Description

The project uses herds of free-roaming animals including Old English longhorn cattle, Exmoor ponies, Tamworth pigs, red and fallow deer to drive habitat generation, and focuses on restoring dynamic natural processes. The project has witnessed an 'extraordinary abundance' of many rare species, including turtle doves, barbastelle bats, slow-worms and grass snakes; and is now a breeding hotspot for purple emperor butterflies and nightingales. As of 2018, a reintroduction programme of white storks to England was in its early stages on the estate, with juvenile birds being kept in a pen until maturity, when they were released. Sussex was chosen for its strong historical associations with the stork. The programme aims to establish a breeding population in Britain for the first time since 1416. On safari at Knepp Wildland

The estate is still farming, albeit conservatively, producing 75 tonnes of low-input, organic, pasture-fed meat per annum from its free-roaming herds. Wildlife tourism provides another significant income stream. Knepp offers camping, safaris and holiday accommodation. There are of public and permissive footpaths and five viewing platforms on the estate.

Advisory board

The Knepp Wildland Advisory Board consists of some 30 ecologists, including Dr Frans Vera, and Prof Sir John Lawton, author of the 2010 'Making Space for Nature' report.

Book and film

The story of the Knepp Wildland project is told in the 2018 book ''Wilding: The Return of Nature to a British Farm'' which is written by Isabella Tree, who lives at Knepp and is married to Charles Burrell and helped create the Wildland project. The 2023 film '' Wilding'' is based upon Tree's book.

Awards and recognition

* 2015 People Environment Achievement (PEA) award for Nature * 2015 Innovative & Novel Project award in the UK River Prize for th
River Adur restoration project
ref name=recognition/> * 2017 Anders Wall Award for special contribution to the rural environment in the European Union * 2017 Gold, Best Guided Tour of the Year, Beautiful South Awards * The Knepp Wildland project is recognised as a Verified Conservation Area (VCA) and is a member of the

Rewilding Europe Rewilding Europe is a non-profit organization based in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, dedicated to creating rewilded landscapes throughout Europe. The group's efforts have contributed to increasing the stock of previously endangered species such as t ...

Network. * Outstanding example of landscape-scale restoration in the UK Government's 25 Year Environment Plan. * Organic certification from the

Soil Association The Soil Association is a British registered charity focused on the effect of agriculture on the environment. It was established in 1946. Their activities include campaigning for local purchasing, public education on nutrition and certificat ...

* Sir Charles Burrell is Chair of the Beaver Advisory Committee for England and Foundation Conservation Carpathia, vice-chair for

Rewilding Britain Rewilding Britain is an organisation founded in 2015 that aims to promote the rewilding of Great Britain. It is a registered charity in England, Wales and Scotland. History One of the people involved in setting up the charity was Guardian journa ...

and on the board of The Arcadia Fund, Ingleby Farms Environment Committee, the Endangered Landscapes Programme and the Bronze Oak Project.

Criticism

According to Isabella Tree, early on the project received letters "complaining that rewilding was an immoral waste of land, an affront to cultural values, that we'd turned our home Knepp into an eyesore of noxious weeds and brambles." A nuanced critique is made in a chapter of the Routledge Handbook of Rewilding:

Gallery

File:Camping at Knepp Wildland.jpg, Knepp Wildland camping field File:Stag at Knepp Wildland - geograph.org.uk - 1158274.jpg, A fallow deer buck at Knepp File:Knepp Wildland Hammer Pond.jpg, View of part of Hammer Pond at Knepp Wildland File:Viewing platform at Knepp Wildland.jpg, Viewing platform at Knepp Wildland File:Longhorn cattle at Knepp Wildland.jpg, Longhorn cattle at Knepp Wildland File:Longhorn_cattle_freeranging_at_Knepp_Wildland.jpg, Longhorn cattle at Knepp Wildland File:Watching longhorn cattle from footpath.jpg, Watching longhorn cattle from footpath File:Longhorn cattle at Knepp Wildland.jpg, Longhorn cattle at Knepp Wildland

References

External links

Knepp Wildland Homepage

Sources

* {{coord, 50.97578, N, 0.34482, W, region:GB_source:enwiki-osgb36(TQ163209), display=title Nature reserves in England Nature reserves in West Sussex Rewilding in the United Kingdom Environmentalism in England