Our aim is to kick start natural processes to help wildlife bounce back and thrive, and the creation of our local Rewilding Network is vital in helping us to achieve this.
Learning from each other to restore our landscape and help wildlife bounce back.
Last Friday (Friday 26 April 2024) we brought together landowners from across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight for a Rewilding Network event. The event was kindly hosted by Ewhurst Park, a 364-hectare estate located in Ramsdell, Hampshire.
The event also marked the first anniversary of the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Rewilding Network, which was launched on 28th April 2023, at our own rewilding sites on the Isle of Wight.
The aim of the network is to raise the standard of rewilding in our two counties through engaging with local landowners, encouraging positive action for wildlife and ultimately contributing to the Trust’s goal to see wildlife recovering over a third of land and sea.
The importance of rewilding
The Ewhurst Park event saw over 40 local landowners and members of the Rewilding Network come together to learn about Ewhurst’s rewilding journey so far, whilst providing an opportunity to make connections with those who are working towards the same goal.
The Ewhurst project began in 2021 with the implementation of a different land management approach by moving away from intensive agricultural practices, monoculture biomass plantation and extensive sheep grazing towards creating a mosaic edible landscape that encompasses a range of habitat creation including lowlands, grassland, chalkland, water meadows and woodland.
Attendees were treated to a day of talks and tours, leading to many important discussions and keeping up the momentum for rewilding in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
Themes of the day included the role of rewilding in supporting nature’s recovery, and how the creation of space for nature through rewilding is a vital part of securing a future for biodiversity, as well as how this can work concurrently with producing food. We also heard from Mandy Lieu, owner of Ewhurst Park, who told us about the fantastic work they’ve been doing on the estate, including the introduction of beavers, grazing, a market garden and community engagement, as well as future goals including woodland and wetland creation.
We also shared some of the exciting results from our own rewilding sites, including increases in butterfly activity and bird and butterfly species diversity at Wilder Little Duxmore since baseline surveys, as well as the significant decrease in soil mineral nitrogen at the site recorded last year.
