Our Principal Ecologist Sue Searle recently attended two rewilding conferences. After years of feeling increasingly hopeless about the state of our native wildlife, she is now starting to feel hopeful. In this article, Sue outlines some of the most inspiring people she thinks you should know about.
Once considered unorthodox, Rewilding is now at the forefront of a global movement to restore ecosystems and revive biodiversity. Across the UK, pioneering projects led by visionary conservationists are transforming degraded landscapes into thriving, self-sustaining habitats. Isabella Tree and Charles Burrell at Knepp, Derek Gow at Coombeshead, Benedict Macdonald at Restore, and Alan Watson Featherstone at Trees for Life are all leading the charge. Their efforts are reversing environmental damage and rekindling hope for a more harmonious relationship with nature.
Rewildling Knepp: Nature’s Unlikely Comeback
The Knepp Estate in West Sussex, managed by Isabella Tree and Charles Burrell, has become a shining example of what rewilding can achieve. Over two decades, the once intensively farmed land has been allowed to revert to its natural state, with extraordinary results. Rare species like the nightingale, turtle dove, and purple emperor butterfly have returned in abundance, making Knepp a biodiversity hotspot.
The Knepp project has inspired many. It shows letting natural processes to unfold is sometimes the best way to heal the land. Tree and Burrell’s minimal intervention approach has led to the spontaneous revival of native plants and animals. It offers a simple and hopeful model for other rewilding efforts. Their work underscores a powerful truth: given the chance, nature has an incredible capacity to recover.
Rewilding Coombeshead: Derek Gow’s Vision for a Wilder Britain
In Devon, Derek Gow is transforming the landscape of Coombeshead Rewilding. The project aims to restore Britain’s lost species and ecosystems. Known for his work reintroducing species like the water vole, beaver, and wildcat, Gow is a passionate advocate for rewilding as a tool to repair ecological damage.
At Coombeshead, the reintroduction of beavers has been particularly transformative. These industrious creatures create wetlands that enhance biodiversity, improve water quality, and even mitigate flooding. Gow’s efforts demonstrate that rewilding is not just about bringing back individual species. He seeks to restore the complex web of life that sustains healthy ecosystems. This includes the plants, insects, small mammals, reptiles and amphibians to predators such as the wild cat. His work offers a tangible example of how rewilding can reverse centuries of decline, bringing new life to the British countryside. He is a powerful advocate for change in land management.
Trees for Life: Alan Watson Featherstone’s Legacy of Forest Restoration
Another key figure in the rewilding movement is Alan Watson Featherstone, founder of Trees for Life. For over three decades, Trees for Life has been at the forefront of efforts to restore the ancient Caledonian Forest in the Scottish Highlands. Once a vast forest teeming with wildlife, the Caledonian Forest has been reduced to small, isolated remnants due to centuries of deforestation and overgrazing.
Under Featherstone’s leadership, Trees for Life has planted millions of trees and worked to restore natural processes across thousands of hectares of land. The project has also reintroduced species like the red squirrel and the Eurasian beaver. It is now working towards the return of apex predators like the lynx. Trees for Life is a testament to the power of long-term vision and community involvement in rewilding. Featherstone’s work has inspired countless others to take action. He has shown that it is possible to reverse deforestation and restore vibrant, self-sustaining ecosystems.
Benedict Macdonald: Rebirding and the Case for a Wilder World
Author Benedict Macdonald has become one of the most compelling voices in the rewilding movement. In his books, “Rebirding” and “Cornerstones,” Macdonald argues for the large-scale restoration of Britain’s lost wildlife. He envisions a future where species once common across the UK, like the white stork and black grouse, are restored to their natural habitats.
Macdonald believes that rewilding is not just about preserving nature for its own sake, but about creating a world where humans and wildlife can coexist and thrive. His writing has helped to shift public perception, making the case that rewilding is an essential part of building a more sustainable and resilient future. Macdonald’s vision is one of hope, where the restoration of natural ecosystems goes hand in hand with human well-being.
His organisation Restore is now working with many large landowners who want to rewild their land. His company is now helping to rewild 70,000 hectares of land across Britain.
A Growing Movement of Restoration and Renewal
The efforts at Knepp, Coombeshead, Trees for Life, and the advocacy of voices like Benedict Macdonald’s are part of a broader, growing movement. Across the UK and beyond, rewilding projects are gaining momentum. Fuelled by a recognition that we need to rethink our relationship with nature. Initiatives like Restore, which focus on landscape-scale conservation, are pushing the boundaries of what is possible. They are showing that large-scale ecological restoration can have profound benefits for both people and wildlife.
This growing interest in rewilding reflects a shift in public consciousness. More and more people are recognizing the need to restore natural processes and allow ecosystems to function as they once did – people rewilding their gardens, councils managing land more sympathetically and farming subsidies becoming aimed at ecosystem services and not intensive agricultural practices. The success stories emerging from these rewilding projects offer a powerful message of hope: that it is possible to reverse the damage we have done to the natural world and create a future where nature and humanity can thrive together.
As these projects continue to flourish, they are not only healing the land but also inspiring a new generation of conservationists. The rewilding movement is a beacon of optimism in a world often overshadowed by environmental challenges. It shows us that with patience, dedication, and a willingness to let nature lead, we can restore the wild places we have lost and build a future filled with life, beauty, and resilience.
Want to learn more about rewilding? We have an online course on Rewilding and another on River Restoration.
Interested in changing career and getting involved? Then take our Certificate in Conservation Management.
