Heal Rewilding, a new wildlife charity, wants to buy UK land and give it back to nature
A newly-launched national wildlife charity, Heal Rewilding, has announced plans to buy empty land across the UK and give nature the chance to recover it naturally, instead of planting nursery-grown trees.
The project is in response to the climate and biodiversity emergency we are currently facing, and will begin in the Southern English lowlands (a specific area is yet to be announced). The initial 500-acre site will be rewilded using naturally spreading seeds. The charity also aim to reintroduce semi-wild grazing animals including pigs, ponies, longhorn cattle and deer.
Heal Rewilding are crowdfunding to raise some of the funds needed to buy the former farms, green belt areas or lower-grade land where nature can restore itself. If you're looking for a way to get involved with the project, donating is a brilliant way to help out. You can do so here.
We are Heal and we're a new rewilding charity. With help from good people and good companies, we'll buy land (in England to start with) and rewild it. Fledging 30th March but flapping about a bit before then.
— Heal Rewilding (@HealRewilding) February 25, 2020
"We face a brutal environment, but we are resilient. Nature cannot wait. Everywhere I look, I see absence of wildlife. But each one of our sites will help hundreds of species," Jan Stannard, the charity's chair told The Guardian.
"We urgently need everyone together to help make nature's recovery happen. Our sites will be places where wildlife can return and thrive, but they will also become sanctuaries for people. Our vision is to heal the land, heal nature and heal ourselves."
The idea of rewilding is to celebration nature and enable natural processes to shape the land and sea, restore landscapes and repair damaged ecosystems. The often large-scale conservation efforts have a plethora of benefits for both biodiversity, air quality and soil health.
Also commenting on the new initiative is the RSPB's director for conservation, Martin Harper. He said: "With 15% of UK species at threat of extinction, our incredible wildlife needs all the help it can get. Nature habitats provide amazing benefits for people too."
To find out more about the plans or to donate head over to their website.
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