Bringing back the giants: a turning point for Britain’s lost herbivores

Britain once had many more large herbivores, including aurochs, wild horses, wild boar, red deer, roe deer, elk (or moose) and the steppe bison. Today, rewilding projects look to restore herbivores wherever possible, so that these ecosystem engineers can play their vital role in shaping dynamic, resilient landscapes that can support other species.

The conference was organised by the forward-thinking Large Herbivore Working Group, whose purpose is to restore large herbivore guilds to the UK. As a steering group member, Rewilding Britain’s work is focused on reducing the barriers to achieving this purpose and on facilitating the return of these species. We’re working alongside Knepp Estate, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), The National Trust and The Wildlife Trusts to provide guidance, influence policy changes and enable shared learning which would be supportive of this agenda and, by extension, support a wilder Britain.

Four years on from the working group’s inception, two bison projects are now up and running in England – one at the Wilder Blean Project in Kent and one at Castletown Estate in Cumbria. With Wilder Blean on the doorstep of the conference, we were able to visit the site on day two and, guided by their excellent bison rangers, see firsthand the impacts the bison have had on the habitat there (now documented in a new report – see below).

We also learnt more about their fencing solutions and the innovative new ​‘bison bridges’ which allow humans to cross over the bison area, so doubling the area the free-roaming herd can enjoy, while giving visitors the chance to spot them through viewing screens.

Teams working on bison projects in both the Netherlands and Spain, meanwhile, shared their insights on semi-wild herds and natural behaviours, providing real inspiration for what could be possible in Britain too. I’ve been lucky enough to see bison in both countries, not behind massive fences where people are not allowed to set foot, but within nature reserves where people are allowed to walk and cycle. I really don’t believe that this is out of the question for Britain in the future.

Another ecosystem engineer featured at the conference was the elk, with an insightful presentation from France. But did you know that the return of the elk to Britain is on the cards too? Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust are carrying out an ecological and social feasibility study for elk to be returned to beaver enclosures in the Idle Valley. We’ve supported them through our Rewilding Innovation Fund to undertake a Disease Risk Assessment for elk reintroduction at their site, which will provide a vital piece of the jigsaw puzzle for other projects in Britain looking to do the same.

Another fascinating session explored the Group’s work on whether large herbivores on rewilding projects could be given a new legal classification of ​‘Kept Wild’. Many rewilding projects already have cattle, ponies and pigs on their land to mimic aurochs, wild ponies and boar, but they are subject to livestock regulations, which require ear tags and daily checks. This new category would allow these animals to act in a more natural way, while ensuring high welfare standards, and The Lifescape Project presented on their research into whether this could be implemented in Britain. 

Alongside this, Netherlands-based rewilding organisation Free Nature shared their experience of semi-wild herbivores, and a project in Scotland presented on a site where deer management is being balanced against the need for a more diverse herbivore guild. 

We also heard about progress towards supporting the expansion of wild boar in more of our landscapes across Britain – so that their rootling can improve soil health and encourage new plants to germinate, as well as create wallows and bare earth for many invertebrates and species.

As well as facilitating knowledge exchange between rewilding practitioners, the conference also invited participants to think about our future landscapes. We spent time together envisioning a future where we have carcasses back in the landscape, completing the nutrient cycle and the circle of life. 

We’re so proud to be part of this collaborative working group, looking to remove barriers and challenges to restoring large herbivores to our landscapes. I’m excited to see this work progressing so rapidly and that we’re already starting to see a wilder landscape filled with our lost giants once more. As Paul Whitfield, Director General at the Wildwood Trust, one of the organisations behind the Wilder Blean project, said as he concluded our epic gathering, ​“We don’t need to tell nature what to become. We need to restore its ability to become.”