Blean bison show potential of rewilding schemes across UK

THE Wilder Blean project has been highlighted as one of the success stories in efforts to restore the UK’s natural environment through rewilding open countryside.

- By EMILY BEAMENT

Conservationists at nature charity Rewilding Britain believe that restoring keystone species such as beavers, elk, and bison is “crucial” to bringing nature back to life, and can help repair natural systems and benefit wildlife.

A project led by Wildwood Trust to re-introduce bison to a currently confidential site in the south of England over the next five years is among the latest recipients of the charity's rewilding innovation fund, which provides grants of up to £15,000 for schemes to restore lost species.

The trust's project will build on the work by Wilder Blean, which was the first initiative to release the animals into east Kent.

While European bison are not native to the UK, they are a close relative of the globally extinct forest bison, which lived here during the last ice age, and possibly beyond.

Wildwood Trust director general Paul Whitfield said: “This funding from Rewilding Britain is enabling us to take the next step in supporting bison re-introduction projects across the UK and inform policy to move the boundaries of bison rewilding.