What a wonderful message - people who visit leave with a feeling of hope for the future. It is so true that our profoundly nature-depleted landscape is a result of the selfish behaviour of a powerful few, often just so that they can enrich themselves at the expense of the rest of us. I detest such people, and celebrate wonderful people like Nick with her incredible vision for a restored countryside.
As a child in Wimbledon during the 50s/60s, I remember seeing water voles along the river Wandle. Good to see such great work happening in Devon. It’s so encouraging seeing such projects and rewinding going on in the nature-depleted UK. It would be wonderful if wildcats, lynx and wolves one day roam again in our countryside. I live in Wales which is one of the most depleted and deforested countries in Europe. There is so much potential for rewinding and reforesting. We have 10m non-profitable sheep ravaging and denuding our landscape here that are supported by government subsidies and advantageous tax perks for a minority of wealthy landowners. There is so much scope for change and regeneration. As you say the controversial aspect is only among a landed minority. The majority of the public as well as landowners who actually grow food (rather than farming grass for sheep or breeding pheasants/grouse) are far less concerned and most often welcome change
Awesome! Thanks for being pioneers and showing the nay-sayers what's possible. Beautiful drone footage too! Impressive how you have pulled this off in terms of funding. Sure must have been a lot of hard work!
Love this. Slight criticism though - the music on the video is too loud and quite annoying - made it quite hard to watch, it would be much better with no music at all.
@@WildingEarth This video covers SUCH an important subject - such a shame to spoil it with unnecessarily intrusive music. All you have to do is knock the music gain down about -6dB or learn about 'ducking'. If I can help - let me know?
Great video. I think this country does need more wildlife reintroducing. For me I've been in various countries and compared to places like Colombia, it feels our countryside is "sterile" and lacks energy. I welcome any and all reintroductions. Long may it continue. It does seem a fair bit of Britain still has a medieval mindset when it comes to wildlife. Even compared to the continent. We still seem to believe folklore over the science.
About the Wolf retuning to The Netherlands and the dutch being overjoyed: this is not really true. A part of the dutch are (including me), but this februari we had 10 packs, consisting of 51 individuals. This was before breeding season. This year there was a breeding pair in a populair and over-crowded forest near Leusden. It came to a few incidents, with the biggest one being a 5-year old kid that was bit by a Wolf. I am definitely pro-wolf, but the majority of the dutch are not overjoyed by it's presence. And since more wolves will come, more incidents will occure and more people will become anti-wolf. So for the sake of the Wolf and all the good that it brings to our nature, we need to start to maintain the numbers. Otherwise, in a couple of years time, there will be a zero-tolerance against the Wolf here and we loose them all.
I live in the Highlands, where there is pressure to agree to the introduction of European Lynx. My experience talking to farmers and Lynx advocates is that the latter have an unrealistic view of what a reintroduction would entail. They hold to the view that Lynx would predate on deer, their natural prey, whereas farmers are pretty certain that sheep would be targeted. The farmers point out that Red deer, the predominant species here, are large and fast compared to sheep, especially lambs. The farmers also point out that they were assured that Eagles wouldn't take lambs but a survey of nests showed every one to contain lamb remains. Yes, there is a compensation scheme but, to claim, the farmer has to produce evidence. Difficult when it's up a cliff or tree in an aggressive bird's nest. There is a widely held belief that protections introduced for Pine Martens is a factor in the decline of another threatened species, the Cappercaille. I'm uncertain what the evidence is for this but, if true, it perhaps underlines that rewilding, however well intended, comes with penalties as well as potential benefits. The penalties have to be acknowledged and workable mitigation strategies offered.
Yeah, sheep. Would those be the same sheep that farmers have spent my entire adult life complaining they make no money from? Why yes, yes they would. Funny how the self styled guardians of the countryside have turned its fields into toxin soaked green concrete, it's rivers into open sewers, and it's woods into deer chewed plantations. Farmers have had their chances and they blew it long ago. Happily the closing of their tax evasion schemes will get rid of these robber baron's for good.
I question her thinking that wildcats would have fed on rabbits or brown hares originally as they were non,- indigenous species. Wen there were numerous wildcats hybridisation was still taking place, it wasn't till the 1950's that keepers reported an increase in hybridisation of wildcats but they were ignored.
Hello, this year in September, while taking my father for a woodland walk we came across and startled a large cat, it was Gray with faint dark stripes on the back hips, it had thick Gray hair, stocky thick legs, tiny ears it was crouching down and bolted off so fast, I thought it may have been a released exotic pet Bob cat or maybe linx, this was in knebworh woods, peogenswick,Hertfordshire.
I’m all for re wilding but we must be very careful in what we bring back as we are not the same countryside as we were 500 years ago ,and although wolves may be very happy in the Highlands of Scotlands ,as the time passes and they extent their range into their ancestral lands it’s then that we have trouble as those lands no longer exist and so they would come into conflict with people, but a lot of species have been brought back to their homeland such as the Cornish Chough and the kite is starting to do well in Wales, plus other rare birds that if it had not have been with 😊help and protection from people would have gone long ago . As for myself I would like to see the Burbot reintroduced ,this fish was swimming in some of our rivers since the last ice age and is the only freshwater member of the cod family ,and thanks to pollution etc was last seen I believe in the early 70s , if we can introduce species such as the Zander and Wells Catfish then why not the Burbot.
What nonsense she spoke about Wildcats, they have no wildcats, only hybrids. Wildcats used to live in various habitats. They are considerably bigger than hybrids and domestic cats, either mature males up to 35 to 40 lbs on weight 4 ft in length with up to a 20 inch bushy tail.
@WildingEarth I truly wish they had found some pure wildcats, but unfortunately that has not turned out to be the case. The release of hybrids will almost certain bring about the extinction of any wildcats that are still surviving.What makes you think they have any pure wildcats ?
Why would they repopulate Lynx, they kill everything else in sight? their strictly carnivores. This will make it difficult for the dispersing and disappearing creatures and birds of all sorts. Many are endangered now.
It’s a balance and of course any apex predator reintroduction needs to be carefully planned and monitored, but ultimately the benefits far outweigh the negatives
Controversial. Exciting. Radical. Experimental. Informative. Great. Useful. Awesome!
Thanks for watching Jack 🙏
This is a smart start to a wilder England and Scotland.
They are doing some amazing work
As a wildlife photographer and animal lover who lives in Devon ill be visiting this place soon to have a good look at a really interesting project.
Definitely check out the many events they are running, hopefully see you there!
Absolutely wonderful work! Thank you for sharing this
Pleasure!
Amazing work. Watching after a busy day in Central London surrounded by increasing homelessness and people is soothing 💚
Thank you for watching, have a nice weekend
What a wonderful message - people who visit leave with a feeling of hope for the future. It is so true that our profoundly nature-depleted landscape is a result of the selfish behaviour of a powerful few, often just so that they can enrich themselves at the expense of the rest of us. I detest such people, and celebrate wonderful people like Nick with her incredible vision for a restored countryside.
Nick is brilliant!
As a child in Wimbledon during the 50s/60s, I remember seeing water voles along the river Wandle. Good to see such great work happening in Devon. It’s so encouraging seeing such projects and rewinding going on in the nature-depleted UK. It would be wonderful if wildcats, lynx and wolves one day roam again in our countryside. I live in Wales which is one of the most depleted and deforested countries in Europe. There is so much potential for rewinding and reforesting. We have 10m non-profitable sheep ravaging and denuding our landscape here that are supported by government subsidies and advantageous tax perks for a minority of wealthy landowners. There is so much scope for change and regeneration. As you say the controversial aspect is only among a landed minority. The majority of the public as well as landowners who actually grow food (rather than farming grass for sheep or breeding pheasants/grouse) are far less concerned and most often welcome change
Thank you for the informative video!
Thank you for watching!
Awesome! Thanks for being pioneers and showing the nay-sayers what's possible. Beautiful drone footage too! Impressive how you have pulled this off in terms of funding. Sure must have been a lot of hard work!
Thank you! Appreciate you watching
Great video, what an inspiring place
Really amazing to see everything going on there, Nick was so knowledgable too!
Love this. Slight criticism though - the music on the video is too loud and quite annoying - made it quite hard to watch, it would be much better with no music at all.
Thanks for the feedback Andrew, noted!
@@WildingEarth this is extra valid for people with hearing problems
@@WildingEarth This video covers SUCH an important subject - such a shame to spoil it with unnecessarily intrusive music. All you have to do is knock the music gain down about -6dB or learn about 'ducking'. If I can help - let me know?
Now that's somewhere I'd love to work!
Me too!
Stayed there in July. Super!
Amazing! Thanks for watching the episode 🙏
Can't wait to see some of these amazing critters populate the UK again!
Me too!
Good grief how have I not heard of this before - atrocious that this wonderful project has not been national news!
They are doing some incredible work there Ian, well worth a visit!
Great vid; great lady...
Nick is brilliant!
Loved this, very inspiring :) Currently fencing off a recently purchased field...hoping to create a resilient native forest with pond and wetlands :)
Sounds wonderful Sarah, best of luck with the project!
Fantastic video!
this is really great work they are doing
It’s all really exciting
Great video 👍Would love u to do a video on knepp rewilding
I’d love that too, watch this space 😀
Talk to wildwood in Kent and Devon they are doing amazing work with multiple native species, loved the video by the way :-)
So funny you should mention them James as someone else also recommended them too today!
@@WildingEarth It's a brilliant organisation i was lucky to work with them for a while they do great work.
Nice place and work ..I wish I could find myself in
Definitely explore what projects are nearby you as often they support volunteers
Beautiful .
🙏
Yes, make it happen.
Would love to see lynx in kielder, but their very nature means you are unlikely to see them!
Let’s see, time will tell!
Are non breeding lynk compatable with black grouse or capercaillie ?
Sadly our politicians are too cowardly to make a decision . Imagine the uprising if a Yorkshire terrier was eaten by one .
I find the guitar music distracting I’m afraid
Feedback noted, thank you
Funny how a few of these have started to pop up in Scotland recently.. 🤔
The lynx are doing well here in the Pfalz (Pfälzerwald, Germany). Huge area of forestry though. And it's true - you never see them ...
Great video. I think this country does need more wildlife reintroducing. For me I've been in various countries and compared to places like Colombia, it feels our countryside is "sterile" and lacks energy. I welcome any and all reintroductions. Long may it continue. It does seem a fair bit of Britain still has a medieval mindset when it comes to wildlife. Even compared to the continent. We still seem to believe folklore over the science.
About the Wolf retuning to The Netherlands and the dutch being overjoyed: this is not really true. A part of the dutch are (including me), but this februari we had 10 packs, consisting of 51 individuals. This was before breeding season. This year there was a breeding pair in a populair and over-crowded forest near Leusden. It came to a few incidents, with the biggest one being a 5-year old kid that was bit by a Wolf.
I am definitely pro-wolf, but the majority of the dutch are not overjoyed by it's presence. And since more wolves will come, more incidents will occure and more people will become anti-wolf. So for the sake of the Wolf and all the good that it brings to our nature, we need to start to maintain the numbers. Otherwise, in a couple of years time, there will be a zero-tolerance against the Wolf here and we loose them all.
Fantastic news Hans, thank you for sharing it with us
"There are no genetically pure Scottish wildcats in the wild due to interbreeding with domestic cats"
They have genetically tested theirs to confirm they are purebred
No such thing as a Scottish wildcat just wildcats, also they have done genetic tests on most of the wildcats now.
I live in the Highlands, where there is pressure to agree to the introduction of European Lynx. My experience talking to farmers and Lynx advocates is that the latter have an unrealistic view of what a reintroduction would entail. They hold to the view that Lynx would predate on deer, their natural prey, whereas farmers are pretty certain that sheep would be targeted. The farmers point out that Red deer, the predominant species here, are large and fast compared to sheep, especially lambs. The farmers also point out that they were assured that Eagles wouldn't take lambs but a survey of nests showed every one to contain lamb remains. Yes, there is a compensation scheme but, to claim, the farmer has to produce evidence. Difficult when it's up a cliff or tree in an aggressive bird's nest.
There is a widely held belief that protections introduced for Pine Martens is a factor in the decline of another threatened species, the Cappercaille. I'm uncertain what the evidence is for this but, if true, it perhaps underlines that rewilding, however well intended, comes with penalties as well as potential benefits. The penalties have to be acknowledged and workable mitigation strategies offered.
Yeah, sheep. Would those be the same sheep that farmers have spent my entire adult life complaining they make no money from? Why yes, yes they would. Funny how the self styled guardians of the countryside have turned its fields into toxin soaked green concrete, it's rivers into open sewers, and it's woods into deer chewed plantations. Farmers have had their chances and they blew it long ago. Happily the closing of their tax evasion schemes will get rid of these robber baron's for good.
Thr nests may have contained lamb remains, but that doesnt prove the eagles killed them. Surely this isn't so difficult to beat?
I question her thinking that wildcats would have fed on rabbits or brown hares originally as they were non,- indigenous species. Wen there were numerous wildcats hybridisation was still taking place, it wasn't till the 1950's that keepers reported an increase in hybridisation of wildcats but they were ignored.
Hello, this year in September, while taking my father for a woodland walk we came across and startled a large cat, it was Gray with faint dark stripes on the back hips, it had thick Gray hair, stocky thick legs, tiny ears it was crouching down and bolted off so fast, I thought it may have been a released exotic pet Bob cat or maybe linx, this was in knebworh woods, peogenswick,Hertfordshire.
Wonderful to hear Jon. Earlier this year a sheep carcass was DNA tested and Panther DNA was found on it…they are out there!!
Probably a lynx.
When are the British bringing back the auk?
I'm pissed they drove them to extinction.
how many times did she say aaahmm? Needs bears and wolves too.
Nick is an incredible woman, so knowledgeable, she can do no wrong in my eyes!
Sind das nicht alles Tiere die es nicht sowieso in England schon gibt ❤❤❤
Many of them are severely depleted and their important work will help accelerate rewilding initiatives across the UK
👍
I’m all for re wilding but we must be very careful in what we bring back as we are not the same countryside as we were 500 years ago ,and although wolves may be very happy in the Highlands of Scotlands ,as the time passes and they extent their range into their ancestral lands it’s then that we have trouble as those lands no longer exist and so they would come into conflict with people, but a lot of species have been brought back to their homeland such as the Cornish Chough and the kite is starting to do well in Wales, plus other rare birds that if it had not have been with 😊help and protection from people would have gone long ago . As for myself I would like to see the Burbot reintroduced ,this fish was swimming in some of our rivers since the last ice age and is the only freshwater member of the cod family ,and thanks to pollution etc was last seen I believe in the early 70s , if we can introduce species such as the Zander and Wells Catfish then why not the Burbot.
So far no pure wildcats have been found only hybrids, the release of hybrids almost guarantees the extinction of the Scottish Wildcat.
My understanding is they the ones being bred here have been genetically tested to make sure they are 100% ‘pure’ wildcats
@WildingEarth Not true I,m afraid.
“Non breeding” Lynx . Have you not watched Jurassic Park!?! They’ll find a way .
😂
REMOVE THE BACKGROUND MUSIC PLEASE
Thanks for the feedback
You have to be realistic, farmers will NEVER allow the reintroduction of the European Lynx, never mind the wolf.
Never say never!
@WildingEarth well, I'm afraid that we won't see it in our present lives. It would be nice though. But it is just an utopia. Human are too selfish.
Lynx are already established in the uk. They are already wild here. As are puma and panther.
The music ruins this
What nonsense she spoke about Wildcats, they have no wildcats, only hybrids.
Wildcats used to live in various habitats. They are considerably bigger than hybrids and domestic cats, either mature males up to 35 to 40 lbs on weight 4 ft in length with up to a 20 inch bushy tail.
Please see my other reply, they have been generically tested to provide not mixed with domestic cats
@WildingEarth Genetically tested not generically tested to be above 75% which are hybrids not wildcats, no pure wildcats have been found so far.
@WildingEarth I truly wish they had found some pure wildcats, but unfortunately that has not turned out to be the case.
The release of hybrids will almost certain bring about the extinction of any wildcats that are still surviving.What makes you think they have any pure wildcats ?
Why would they repopulate Lynx, they kill everything else in sight? their strictly carnivores. This will make it difficult for the dispersing and disappearing creatures and birds of all sorts. Many are endangered now.
This is apparently not true, from my understanding the ecosystem benefits outweigh the negatives
What about the people who do not want rewinding especially when your pets start killing livestock ?
It’s a balance and of course any apex predator reintroduction needs to be carefully planned and monitored, but ultimately the benefits far outweigh the negatives
"Your pets"?