Rewilding in action: bringing bison back to Britain

Rewilding goes beyond protecting nature, seeking to restore the natural ecosystem. By reinstating natural plant species and – when the time is right – reintroducing missing species, rewilding aims to improve the  environment to the point where nature can take over and natural processes are restored. As such, these approaches offer a way to restore biodiversity at scale.

That’s the theory. Though still only a few months into the trial, results from the Wilder Blean project already reveal how theory translates to reality. 

More than half the species in the UK are in decline and 15% are on the brink of extinction, according
to Rewilding Britain. One cause is a lack of managed woodland. 

West Blean and Thornden Woods near Canterbury in Kent is the largest area of continuous ancient woodland in the UK, making it a critical area to protect and restore. Since July, it has also been home to free-roaming European bison. Natural ‘ecosystem engineers’, they have already begun to reshape the landscape.

Three females were initially released on one of the hottest days on record in the UK – an 18-year old matriarch that came from Scotland and two four-year olds from a herd in Ireland. They were to be joined by a four-year old male from Germany before the end of the year. Instead, one of the females gave birth to an unexpected  female calf, while the arrival of the male has been delayed by red tape. He is now expected in spring 2023. 

Back from the brink

Bison were hunted to the brink of extinction in Europe. The last recorded shooting was in 1927, when conservationists stepped in to protect the 12 individuals that remained. There are now nearly 9,000, but the gene pool is still  quite week. Hence the reason for carefully selecting bison from different countries to form the Wilder Blean herd. The hope is that they will breed and individuals can be transferred to other projects, further helping to diversify the gene pool.

Blean Woods spans a total of 200 hectares. It has broadly been divided into three zones – one that is being managed using standard forestry techniques, a second where Exmoor ponies and Iron-Age pigs will be free to roam and a third area where the bison have been released. The three areas will be monitored to understand the impact of the bison, building an evidence base that will hopefully support future projects. 

Impacts are starting to be seen

The bison were initially released into a five hectare ‘soft release’ area, but since early December they have  had the run of a larger 50 hectare zone. It’s still early days, but it is already possible to see the impact that the bison are having. There are clear tracks through the soft release area, while the larger zone is still dense with bracken and brambles.

The bison have been grazing on the younger, soft branches and leaves of trees in the woods, bending the trees over where necessary to reach the highest, juiciest branches. They have also been stripping bark from larger trees. While this may cause some trees to die, it creates standing deadwood that becomes home to bugs and insects and, in turn, increases the availability of food for birds.

Detailed plant and species surveys were conducted before the bison’s arrival, which resulted in the discovery of one species of spider thought to be extinct in the UK and another that had not been seen for 30 years. Since July, researchers working on the project have seen the arrival of dung beetles. It is hoped that when the surveys are repeated in years to come, many more species will have turned up.