Wild bison have not roamed the UK landscape in 6,000 years… however that has all changed this month (August 2022) as a small herd – three females and one male – has now been released into a Kent woodland by Kent Wildlife Trust and Wildwood Trust. It is hoped that not only will the project help the endangered species, but will also support rewilding of an area of woodland and open glades by naturally ‘killing’ trees by eating the bark and restoring soil nutrients. As trees fall, this creates further food and habitat for birds and insects.
The bison are the European subspecies, the largest land mammal in Europe, and reintroductions have already been successfully implemented in Poland and the Netherlands, already bringing the species back from immediate vulnerability. They are known as a ‘keystone’ species, and help to restore natural processes that would have occurred thousands of years ago.
You can learn more about rewilding as a solution from our Planetary experts under our learn tab!
