More related content:<\/p>\n
- Rewilding wolves: what can Sweden teach us about living with big predators?<\/a><\/li>\n
- John Craven: Will the Government\u2019s new environment schemes be able to reverse nature decline?<\/a><\/li>\n
- Podcast: How rewilding could transform the countryside for wildlife and people<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
A pack of wolves.\/Credit: Getty<\/em><\/p>\n
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<\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/section>\nBritain\u2019s best-known rewilding venture is on the Knepp Estate in the Low Weald of Sussex, where former arable land and dairy pasture has been turned into \u201ca biodiverse wilderness area\u201d. A few years ago I went to see it for myself for Countryfile<\/a> and the effect on the vegetation and wildlife restoration is impressive. After more than 20 years of rewilding, Knepp is now home to a long list of endangered birds, mammals and insects, including turtle doves<\/a>, nightingales<\/a>, kingfishers<\/a> and purple emperor butterflies<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>After 20 years of rewilding, Knepp Estate is a nature conservation success story\/Credit: Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n The land management comes in the four-legged variety with free-roaming Tamworth pigs, longhorn cattle<\/a>, Exmoor ponies and herds of deer<\/a> that do wonders in restoring the local biodiversity, simply by eating and excreting. It also means there\u2019s a ready supply of pork, beef and venison to sell to the public. After all, anyone wanting to go down the rewilding route needs to make it pay.<\/p>\n
One option is eco-tourism and another is direct payments under the Government\u2019s Environmental Land Management schemes (ELMs) in England, better known as \u201cpublic money for public good\u201d. Interestingly, Knepp has several income streams: a solar farm, rent from outbuildings converted to industrial use and profits from letting cottages. It\u2019s a successful and financially sustainable model \u2013 but not every landowner or farmer can do that.<\/p>
Rewilding doesn\u2019t come without its challenges; checking on free-grazing livestock and dealing with any health issues can be incredibly difficult in a wide, wild landscape. Then there\u2019s the tricky issue of land use. If fertile farm land is turned over to pure conservation then it\u2019s taken out of food production at a time when the global population is rising and food security is a serious issue. We don\u2019t want to increase the UK\u2019s environmental credentials and then turn to importing food \u2013 that would make no sense.<\/p>\n
So when I\u2019m asked if I\u2019m in favour of rewilding or against it, my answer is simple: it depends on what sort of rewilding and where. It\u2019s subtle and nuanced, but all about getting the right balance in the countryside.<\/p>\n
Main image credit: Wild flowers\/Mark Kerrison\/Getty Images<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n
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- John Craven: Will the Government\u2019s new environment schemes be able to reverse nature decline?<\/a><\/li>\n
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