In an effort to make the UK more of a refuge for wildlife, the Kent Wildlife and Wildwood Trusts are bringing back wild bison that haven’t roamed the area in thousands of years.

 

The trusts are embarking on a £1 million project funded by the players of the People’s Postcode Lottery to give nature a little space in the woods near Canterbury, England. The Kent Wildlife Trust owns the West Blean woods, one of the UK’s largest nature reserves. The site was previously used for timber production, a history that’s left it covered in non-native conifer trees that aren’t conducive to a thriving habitat for wildlife.

 

The Trust tried cutting trees down but believes bison are a better approach. Kent calls it “wilding” and sees it as a way to give nature the tools and space it needs to recover from previous damage. It casts bison as ecological engineers with the power to return this land to its previous glory.