🔎 What’s going on?
Wild Bison to return to the UK after 6000 years, whereby a small herd will be introduced in the Spring of 2022 in Kent.
🐂 Wait, what does this mean?
The Wilder Blean project aims to bring Wild Bison, an ecosystem engineer to 500 hectares of West Blean Woods, near Canterbury in East Kent. An ecosystem engineer is a term used to describe any organism that can either create, significantly alters, maintains or destroys a habitat. Needless to say, humans are one of the best examples of an ecosystem engineer, the second best are trees which create habitats for birds, insects and squirrels. Beavers (they build natural dams in rivers), Bison (they naturally destroy trees), caterpillars (they create shelters with leaves), and woodpeckers (they create holes in trees) are other examples of ecosystem engineers.
The project has already started with support funding from players of the People’s Postcode Lottery Dream Fund and the European Bisons will arrive in spring 2022. Initially, one male and three females will be introduced. Woodlands in the UK have not been managed properly for many years so bringing Bison into the mix would certainly help! They kill off certain trees by rubbing their winter fur against trees, eat tree bark, and create dust baths. In turn, this creates dead wood for insects and small animals.
❓ Why should I care?
The UK and the world are in a biodiversity and climate crisis. UK’s wildlife populations have drastically plummeted by 60% since 1970. Agriculture has been the number one reason for land-use change in the UK, with almost 72% of land managed for agriculture. Another driver is the lack of woodland management. For this particular project, Kent Wildlife Trust brought land from a previous timber plantation, meaning there are plenty of non-native conifer trees in West Blean Woods. As you now know, Bison can kill off trees so they can naturally and sustainably manage woodlands in a way humans can’t.
🚦 Where do we need to be?
Apply more nature-based solutions to the problem. Wilding is a nature-based solution to climate change. Essentially, it means allowing nature full freedom and space to recover without much human intervention - it’s a hands-off approach to ecosystem restoration. These practices tend to not only successfully restore biodiversity but also have added benefits such as soil restoration, water and air purification, carbon sequestration and pollination.
👤 What can I do about it?
Learn more about wilding and how you can apply it in your own home, workplace or cities. You can learn more here and here.
Here are a couple of simple tips which we have previously shared:
- Let your grass grow longer in your garden before you mow them. Even better, don’t mow your lawn! This means that the roots grow longer, capturing plenty of carbon.
- Plant perennials! Any plants that live longer, store more carbon.
- Cover your soil with lots of plants or mulch. Bare soil leads to soil erosion.
- Reduce or stop tilling in your garden.
- Minimise the use of fertilisers in your garden.
Related: Cover crops to increase carbon capture in Humber project