Dead Farm Sees 900% Surge in Birds After Rewilding

Twenty years ago, the Knepp estate in Sussex, England was dying. Isabella Tree and her husband Charlie Burrell owned 3,500 acres of depleted farmland that wasn't making money and couldn't support wildlife.

Then they made a bold choice: they stopped fighting nature and started working with it. They tore down fences, brought in free-roaming cattle and other animals, and let the land heal itself.

The results just published this week are stunning. Breeding bird numbers exploded by 900%, including rare species like turtle doves and nightingales that have vanished from much of Britain. Turtle dove populations jumped 600% at Knepp while nightingales increased by 511%.

"We have gone from depleted, polluted, dysfunctional farmland to one of the most significant biodiversity hotspots in the UK," said Tree. Her book "Wilding" documented the transformation and became a bestseller.

The recovery extends beyond birds. Butterfly numbers doubled in some areas, while dragonflies and damselflies surged nearly 900%. Ecologist Fleur Dobner says the trend keeps climbing year after year.

The secret wasn't complicated. The couple introduced English longhorn cattle to fill roles once played by extinct wild animals. Red deer now roam freely, and natural processes shape the landscape instead of human intervention.

The Ripple Effect

Knepp's success arrives at a crucial moment for Britain, one of the world's most nature-depleted countries. The UK promised to return 30% of its land to nature by 2030, but progress has been painfully slow.

Tree believes Knepp proves rewilding can work anywhere. "The uplift in biodiversity shows how much life the land can hold," she said. She's calling for more ambitious goals for nature reserves and rewilding projects across the country.

The estate now influences government policy and inspires similar projects nationwide. What started as a struggling farm has become a blueprint for bringing wildlife back from the brink.

Nature needed just two decades to rebound from what seemed like permanent damage, proving it's not too late to reverse ecological decline when we give the land room to heal.