Wilder Blean: How Bison Are Changing a Woodland in Kent

In the quiet woodlands of Kent, something remarkable is happening. Wilder Blean, a project led by Kent Wildlife Trust and Wildwood Trust, has reintroduced European bison to help restore this ancient landscape. Bison are a keystone species whose behaviours, such as grazing, trampling and dust bathing, transform their surroundings. By creating open spaces, breaking down dense vegetation and enriching the soil, bison play a vital role in boosting biodiversity and help to support a thriving ecosystem.

At Rewild at Heart, we’re proud to support this initiative – in fact it was the first rewilding project we wanted to back as a business.

In preparation for the launch and announcement of our Wilder Blean partnership and apparel collection here, I spoke with Sally at the Kent Wildlife Trust, and here is what I gleaned. My first question, as I’m sure you can imagine, was about the babies which were born recently!

The Bison Herd: Growing Strong

The first surprise arrival occurred in September 2022 when a female bison, introduced earlier that year, gave birth unexpectedly. This event marked the first wild bison birth in the UK in thousands of years. Since then, the herd has expanded with additional calves, including two females born in October 2024, bringing the total number to eight.

The young bison are doing really well. Their light brown fur has darkened, their horns are starting to grow, and they’re often seen playfully sparring or grazing alongside the herd. They’ve picked up key behaviours like dust bathing and foraging - small but important steps in their role as ecosystem engineers.

The effects of the herd’s presence are already visible. Clearings have started to open up in the woodland, more light is reaching the forest floor, and dung beetle larvae have been spotted thriving in their droppings.

“The project encompasses one of the largest monitoring programmes of its kind ever undertaken, it will be years before the official findings will evidence the impact of the herd.”

Wilding vs Rewilding: What’s the Difference?

Wilder Blean describes its approach as wilding rather than rewilding, which we prefer (if you couldn’t tell from our name!). They say while rewilding suggests restoring an exact past state, wilding is about allowing biodiversity to grow and change naturally in response to the conditions of today. It’s about creating space for nature to take the lead. If you’d like to read more about their thoughts on the subject, there’s a discussion page on the Trust’s website.

I definitely agree with that sentiment, though a lot of what we do is helping nature to recover from human-made environmental damage: we’re not introducing bison as an invasive species, we’re helping them recover from extinction. Perhaps a debate for another time! You can read more about bison ecology and recovery on our bison “species spotlight” page.

A Day in the Life of a Ranger

Rangers from both the Kent Wildlife Trust and Wildwood Trust, whose Kent wildlife park neighbours the site, play a vital role in caring for the herd and the wider project. Their work includes fence checks, livestock health assessments, and even dung sampling. While they keep a hands-off approach and maintain a 50-metre distance from the herd, they’re on-hand to ensure the bison remain healthy and safe.

Sally says that while the role of the ranger is varied, it’s “probably a lot less glamorous than people think.” - They are also at the centre of any mandatory testing, like for blue tongue and TB and will use their expertise to ensure these are carried out safely and minimising distress to the herd.

So while they don’t have any need for lassos or to ride around on horses, there’s every chance they wear cool hats during their ranger duties. My investigation so far has been inconclusive, but I know I definitely would if I were a bison ranger.

Bison, Boar, and Deer: Who Else Could Join the Woodland?

You might wonder why there are no deer or wild boar in Wilder Blean (I know I did when I saw those big fences!) The answer isn’t simple. Roads around the woodland block natural deer movement, while introducing wild boar would come with heavy regulatory and logistical challenges. Instead, Iron-Age pigs - a cross between Tamworth pigs and wild boar - are playing a similar role in soil disturbance and habitat creation.

If Tamworth pigs sound familiar, that may be because that’s the breed used at the Knepp Estate, used similarly as proxies for wild boar. Modern domestic pigs, bred primarily for farming, are often less suited to life in a woodland setting. They lack the resilience and foraging instincts needed to thrive in the wild, and their behaviour doesn’t always align with the goals of ecosystem restoration. Iron-Age pigs, on the other hand, have inherited the “best” traits from their wild boar lineage - curiosity, hardiness, and a natural instinct for rooting and soil disturbance.

What else do they have roaming around in the woods at Blean?

Exmoor Ponies:
These native ponies are well-adapted to life in challenging environments and are excellent natural grazers. Their diet includes tough grasses, bramble, and even bark, which helps prevent any one species of plant from dominating the landscape. As they move through the woodland, their grazing creates open spaces and pathways, allowing light to filter through the canopy and encouraging the growth of a wider range of plants.

Cattle:
The breed chosen for Wilder Blean is English Longhorn cattle, selected for their hardiness and ability to thrive outdoors year-round. These cattle are natural browsers and grazers, feeding on scrub, woody plants, and grasses. Their heavier bodies create small pockets of compacted soil as they move, which can form microhabitats for insects and wildflowers. Additionally, their dung is a rich resource, supporting beetles, fungi, and a host of other organisms vital to the woodland food web.

While the bison have their own dedicated section of Wilder Blean, the Iron-Age pigs, Exmoor ponies, and English Longhorn cattle share the wider woodland space. Each species plays a distinct role in shaping the landscape - you can find out more at the Kent Wildlife Trust.

In their own area, the bison act as ecosystem engineers, creating large clearings, breaking down dense vegetation, and allowing sunlight to reach the woodland floor. Meanwhile, in the shared areas, the pigs churn up the soil and control bracken; the ponies graze selectively and create pathways through their browsing; and the cattle manage scrub, open up space, and encourage a more diverse mix of plant species.

It’s a naturally balanced system that demonstrates how different grazing and browsing species, working together, can restore natural processes and create a richer, more resilient ecosystem. At Rewild at Heart, we’re excited to see how these animals continue to shape the Wilder Blean landscape over time.

Why are these the first - and so far, only - bison currently in the UK?

Wilder Blean is a proof-of-concept project, showing what’s possible when we bring back a keystone species like bison. But, as Sally explained, it’s been no small feat to make this happen.

“Bison are considered dangerous wild animals by law, which meant we had to fence in 200 hectares of the Blean to keep the public at a safe distance. That fencing, combined with the bison bridges we’re building, has cost over £2 million. We were incredibly fortunate to secure funding for this - £1 million we raised, and we were awarded a grant of £1.125m from the Players of People’s Postcode Lottery (Dream Fund). But the law still needs to change to better support wilding projects like ours. Advocacy is a key strand of Wilder Blean—we’ve been speaking with politicians and government agencies to make future projects easier to implement across the UK.”

This project isn’t just about creating change in one woodland: it’s about laying the groundwork for a wilder future nationwide.

Looking Ahead

Wilder Blean is just the beginning. The team is working on reintroducing red-billed choughs in Dover, exploring the feasibility of bringing back pine martens, and continuing to monitor the long-term effects of the bison on the landscape.

Interestingly, Kent Wildlife Trust and Wildwood also hold the title of being the first conservation group to reintroduce beavers to the UK over 20 years ago - a groundbreaking step in ecosystem restoration that paved the way for other wilding projects like this one. Beavers, much like bison, are ecosystem engineers, and their return has been a testament to the success of species reintroductions when given the right conditions.

I say that these two projects are also testament to Kent being the best rewilding county! (Is your county a better rewilding county? Let us know!)

This project is a proof of concept - showing what’s possible when we step back and let nature do its thing. But it’s not without challenges. Strict laws, high fencing costs, and ongoing advocacy are all part of the work needed to make wilding projects like this more common across the UK.

At Rewild at Heart, we believe projects like Wilder Blean offer a glimpse into a future where people and nature thrive side by side. We’re proud to play a small part in supporting this incredible initiative.

You can help us support the project by shopping our collection below, or donate directly to make a bigger impact!

Find out more about Wilder Blean and how you can get involved. Every step counts.