BSumC23: Knepp ReWilding Wander

This event is intended for attendees at Big Summer Camp 2023.

Until the early 2000's, Knepp was a traditional intensivem but unprofitable farmed estate.

Then in 2001, the owners decided to take a different approach, and starting a programme which has now turned Knepp into one of the Flagship Rewilding Projects in the country.

'Rewilding' is not just abandoning an area and letting nature take over.  Rewilding is an ongoing process-led approach to farming which lets nature take the driving seat. 

The meant changing all the internal borders become permeable - so that the large herbivores on the estate can now roam freely across it.  This has meant they have also introduced farm animals that can 'mimic' some of the processes that large wild animals would have made in the past.  So, pigs roam across the grounds to mimic the role of wild boar for example.

Knepp is now a breeding ground for critically endangered species include the Nightingale and turtle doves and 13 out of the total of 17 UK species of bats can be found at Knepp now and in 2016 there was a reintroduction scheme for White Storks, long ago hunted to extinction in the UK which has been very successful.

The route we'll take will be roughly 10km and will take in the ruins of old Knepp Castle as well as the village of Shipley to the north of the estate and then finishing back at the main estate building where there is a small cafe and gift shop to explore.

It'll be roughly a 20 min drive from Worthing RFC to Knepp Estate so we'll arrange lifts and carshares on the day.

Photos provided and used with permission from the event leader.

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