Wilder Blean is a flagship wilding project aiming to restore Kent’s renowned ancient woodland, make room for biodiversity and strengthen these important habitats against the climate crisis. To fill the ecological niche left in the absence of the now extinct ancient steppe bison, the Wilder Blean team are introducing its closest living relative, the European Bison to roam Britain’s countryside. Acting as ecosystem engineers these Bison are being brought back to damage vegetation, tree bark and fell trees as they graze. Whilst it may seem counter intuitive that vegetative destruction could be a good thing for nature and our planet, the resulting deadwood not only provides rich habitats for a number of species, but also eventually leads to pockets of empty woodland. These pockets let in light for natural forest regeneration and regrowth, making space for younger trees to grow, which increases the forests productivity and carbon capture ability.
