Wildwood Trust: Charity appeal launched to help re-create Britain’s first true ‘Wild Woodland’ in over 1000 years

Charity appeal launched to help re-create Britain’s first true ‘Wild Woodland’ in over 1000 years

* PRESS RELEASE *

Kent based charity Wildwood Trust has launched an urgent appeal to help prepare to make Britain’s first ever true Wild Wood.

This ‘Wilder Blean’ project will be Britain’s first ever European Bison (Bison bonasus) reintroduction and will support evidence gathering to make this a model for future rewilding in the UK.

Wildwood Trust has been awarded £50,000 in a grant to prepare for the project, but must find 10% match funding from supporters in the next two weeks, otherwise it will lose the grant.

This appeal will pay for preparations to create Britain’s first ever truly ‘wild woodland’, helping restore damaged woodland to an original state, similar to that which existed well over 1000 years ago.

The ground-breaking nature project will repair damaged ecosystems and restore important habitats, by using formerly native species of bison & wild boar, along with other browsing animals. This will help to save many different threatened species of British wildlife for future generations.

But vital funds are needed as Wildwood Trust prepare to release bison and wild boar safely with our partners Kent Wildlife Trust who own and manage the West Blean woods surrounding Widlwood and is the proposed site of the 'Wilder Blean' project. Funds raised will help us to plant over 250 native trees as seed sources for future natural woodland regeneration, it will also provide the infrastructure needed to keep our animals safe as we begin to turn the woodlands surrounding Wildwood into the UK’s first truly wild woodland, helping to make the ‘wilding’ revolution a reality.

Donations to the appeal can be made on Wildwood Trust's Website https://wildwoodtrust.org/rewilding

Broadcast quality Wild Boar, Bison & drone footage of project site avaialble here or on request: https://youtu.be/Ia36UJHqUHw

Ellie Harrison, BBC Presenter & Patron of Wildwood Trust said:

“As Patron of the Wildwood Trust, I have seen first-hand how successful their rewilding and reintroductions have been and I urge you to support their plans for Bison and Wild Boar rewilding."

"Each time I have visited the spectacular animals of Wildwood in their natural enclosures, I have been stirred and uplifted by the encounter. If we can extend that experience to the wider countryside, then we can tackle the real challengers of reversing the catastrophic loss of wildlife in the UK. I look forward to joining all Wildwood supporters in visiting the proposed project and sharing this inspirational plan to a wider audience”.

Wildwood Trust's Peter Smith said:

“The UK is in the midst of a wildlife catastrophe, with a 60% decline in native species and with many at risk of extinction. Leading scientists and nature conservation organisation have now realised only by rewilding land can we stop the loss of nature in the UK”.

“Wildwood has been at the forefront of efforts to rewild Britain, working diligently for 20 years to make Britain a wilder place. As the Government, scientists and other charities have come to realise, making land wild again is the only way we can stop the continued loss of wildlife and ensure our children will have a chance to see wildlife in our countryside in the future”.

“When Wildwood was created, rewilding was just a dream and our efforts to make it real are slowly coming true. Now many rewilding projects across the UK need our help. Having the facilities to safely manage animals such as bison and wild boar will be vital if we are to make these projects a success”.

“Making land truly wild and reintroducing our lost animals will create mosaics of ecologically diverse spaces for plants and animals to thrive. Together, we can reverse the catastrophic loss of wildlife happening before our eyes“.

“By rewilding Britain, we can also help save our children’s future. We stare into a dangerous future with a runaway global climate catastrophe, floods, droughts, a collapse in food production, global economic chaos and growing social inequality, crime and war. All these problems can be linked to the neglect of nature, the greed and corruption that causes the abuse of land and natural resources exploited by the few”.

Donations to the appeal can be made on Wildwood Trust's Website https://wildwoodtrust.org/rewilding

*****ENDS*****

VIDEO / IMAGES ARE AVAILABLE

High quality broadcast standard footage of Bison and Boar with Drone footage of project site available here and can be sent on request: https://youtu.be/Ia36UJHqUHw

CONTACT

Wildwood Trust: +44(0)1227 712 111

Peter Smith: peter@wildwoodtrust.org or 07986 828229

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Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewildwoodtrust

Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/thewildwoodtrust

ABOUT WILDWOOD

Wildwood Trust opened in 1999 as a centre of excellence for the conservation of British wildlife, and was established as a registered charity in 2002. Wildwood is Kent's best British wildlife park. Home to over 200 native animals, past and present and set in 40 acres of beautiful ancient woodland where visitors can see bears, wolves, bison, deer, owls, foxes, red squirrels, wild boar, lynx, wild horses, badgers and beavers plus many more. As one of the leading British animal conservation charities in the UK, Wildwood Trust is dedicated to saving Britain's most threatened wildlife. Wildwood Trust have taken part in many ground-breaking conservation programmes to date, which include, saving the water vole, using wild horses to help restore Kent's most precious nature reserves, bringing the extinct European beaver back to Britain and returning the hazel dormouse & red squirrel to areas where they have been made extinct.