Knepp Wildland

After inheriting the 3,500 acre farm at Knepp from his grandparents at the age of 21 in 1987, Sir Charles Burrell, 10th Baronet, tried for 17 years to run the farm profitably. In 2000, he decided to sell the dairy herd and farm equipment to clear debts rather than take on even more debt in yet another attempt to increase productivity. The turning-point came in 2001, when he received Countryside Stewardship funding to restore the 350 acre Repton-designed parkland around the mansion; parkland that had been ploughed since World War II. In 2001, the 370 acre Repton park around the old castle was seeded with grass and a local wild meadow seed mix; by the end of the year all the internal fences…

The project uses herds of free-roaming animals including Old English longhorn cattle, Exmoor ponies, Tamworth pigs, red and fallow deer to drive habitat generation, and focuses on restoring dynamic natural processes. The project has witnessed an 'extraordinary abundance' of many rare species, including turtle doves, barbastelle bats, slow-worms and grass snakes; and is now a breeding hotspot for purple emperor butterflies and nightingales. As of 2018, a reintroduction programme of white storks to England was in its early stages on the estate, with juvenile birds being kept in a 6+1/2 acre pen until maturity, when they were released. Sussex was chosen for its strong historical associations…