A £1 million project ($1.25m), funded by the People’s Postcode Lottery Dream Fund and given to Kent Wildlife Trust and Wildwood Trust, will see a small herd of the bison released in Kent in time for Spring 2022.
Bison are renowned for their “ecosystem engineering” capabilities, helping plants grow and disperse through seeds caught in their fur and also through killing trees, which they rub their fur against in order to remove their thick winter fur.
Not only does the tree felling create sunny clearings for plants to thrive, but insects that live in deadwood then provide food for birds and mammals.
The bison are the closest living relative to the steppe bison which would have once roamed the U.K. and they will replace a missing keystone species.
A statement from the Wildlife Trust in the U.K. said: “Despite their size, bison are peaceful animals. Their ability to fell trees by rubbing up against them, and eating the bark, creates space for a wide range of other species to thrive. No other species can perform this job in quite the same way.
“The bison will be accompanied by other grazing animals to create the greatest plant and animal biodiversity possible; creating stronger habitats through natural processes that will withstand the current environmental crisis and species decline, and in the long run, reverse it.”
The European bison is the continent’s largest land mammal and adult males can weigh as much as a tonne.
Paul Hadaway, director of conservation at Kent Wildlife Trust, said: “This award means we can now take an important step towards reversing the terrifying rate of species loss in the UK.
“The Wilder Blean project will prove that a wilder, nature-based solution is the right one to tackling the climate and nature crisis we now face. Using missing keystone species like bison to restore natural processes to habitats is the key to creating bio-abundance in our landscape.”
Native species conservation charity The Wildwood Trust has an animal park next to the woodland where the project will take place.
Paul Whitfield, director-general of Wildwood Trust, said: “The partners in this project have long dreamt of restoring the true wild woodlands that have been missing from England for too long.
“This will allow people to experience nature in a way they haven’t before, connecting them back to the natural world around them in a deeper and more meaningful way.
“It will inspire people and demonstrate to policymakers that nature presents the answer to the crisis we face. It will empower them to make a difference and it will prove that there is a way to make things better in these challenging times.”
