Our Top Ten Achievements for Nature
Celebrating World Rewilding Day
This year’s World Rewilding Day theme is ‘hope into action’, a fitting time to reflect on Nattergal’s progress towards our long-term purpose of proving that nature is worth investing in.
In this article, we revisit some of the early achievements that have set us on the right track to achieving our global mission of ‘delivering nature recovery at scale, to provide vital benefits for society and sustainable financial returns.”
1. Two Rewilding Sites in Action, and a Third on its Way!
We bought our first site Boothby Wildland in Lincolnshire in December 2021 and added High Fen Wildland in Norfolk a year later. Together, these sites equate to 909ha of land that will be restored to thriving ecosystems through the return of natural processes. Each site offers a unique opportunity for biodiversity uplift.
At Boothby, the restoration of the River Glen and the variable soil types present an amazing opportunity for restored hydrology and a diverse range of plant communities. High Fen will be transformed from a single habitat type of seasonally wet grassland into a dynamic mosaic of wetland habitats, including lowland fen, willow carr and peat-forming reedbeds, all of which will support a diverse array of bird life. Through rewilding, both sites are also helping to deliver significant local economic and societal benefits.
We are particularly excited to share some breaking news! Last week we agreed to the purchase of a new site near London, and can’t wait to introduce you to our third Wildland very soon.
2. International Research Leadership
We are proud to have recently contributed to a globally significant study on carbon sequestration, through the Knepp Wildland Carbon Project. This work was funded by the Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund (NEIRF), supported by Arup, and led by Nattergal’s Head of Natural Capital, Ivan de Klee. The project’s ambition was to understand and plug important data gaps regarding carbon sequestration in lowland rewilding sites, using our established inspiration, the Knepp Estate, as a case study.
The report's findings have provided a significant boost to global rewilding efforts by showing that carbon sequestration rates across lowland rewilding sites are much higher than previously estimated. There is now a strong case to be made that "rewilding habitats" should be included in the voluntary carbon market (VCM) alongside woodland creation and peatland restoration.
Read the full report here.
3. Essential Baselining in Progress
To better understand the biodiversity value of our land and its uplift potential, we have been carrying out extensive baseline monitoring.
At Boothby we have now completed two years of baseline monitoring, with research having been carried out whilst the site transitions out of arable farming, allowing useful comparisons between areas still under farming with those left to rewild. We’ve collaborated with experts from across the UK to collect data on everything from the fungi in the soil, to the birds, bats, butterflies and bumblebees that call Boothby Wildland home. We now have a deep and robust understanding of the amount of carbon stored in our soil, trees and shrubs, as well as how the 2km of the West Glen river that runs through the site flows, and the quality of the water.
At High Fen we are not only measuring biodiversity but also the health and levels of degradation of the peat under the ground. We have partnered with the University of Cambridge and UK Centre of Ecology and Hydrology to baseline biodiversity and greenhouse gas emissions from the degraded peat we are aiming to restore. Guided by Nick Haycock, our hydrologist, we are also intensively baselining the hydrology and movement of water around the site, collecting information which will allow us to construct an appropriate restoration plan. We are fortunate to be part of the Fens East Peatland Partnership, which is supporting our restoration project.
You can read more about High Fen Hydrology here.
4. Pioneering Community Engagement
Community involvement is fundamental to developing each of our sites. Across 2023 we worked with the Countryside & Community Research Institute (CCRI) at the University of Gloucestershire, with support from Oxford University academics to develop a ‘best practice stakeholder engagement program.’ In September 2023, we held an interactive community workshop at Boothby Wildland, to better understand local knowledge of, and aspirations for, the land. We were delighted to hear so much enthusiasm for rewilding, but equally it was essential for us to understand the concerns and immediate needs of our neighbours and other stakeholders. Footpath access was one such concern, and we are encompassing feedback in our plans to increase rather than reduce access to the land. This will include adding up to 4 kilometres of permissive footpaths and bridleways at Boothby.
More recently, in February 2024, a series of consultations have taken place with local stakeholders around our proposed river restoration. The plan includes an application for enclosed beaver release to assist with local flood mitigation and biodiversity uplift. Once again, the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive and supportive, but we continue to take on board all concerns and considerations.
Watch out for more information on our best practice stakeholder engagement work this year.
5. Volunteering
Volunteering is essential to boosting the capabilities of our site team at Boothby Wildland. Luckily, we have had some wonderful support from local people, willing to roll their sleeves up and get their hands dirty. Huge thanks to everyone who has helped with apple tree grafting, constructing two hibernacula, setting up camera traps, and removing over 500 tree guards and numerous pheasant pens.
6. Collaborative, interactive ‘Wild Map’ Live
Together with ACE Nature, we have developed an interactive WildMap for Boothby Wildland. Clicking on data points across the map, users can learn about the surveys undertaken and resulting data we have collected at each specific grid square. The content will grow over time, but already contains useful insights into our birds, bees and butterflies for example, as well as informative videos, 3D flythroughs, and trail camera recordings. Posts and signage around the site also encourage visitors to capture photographs at fixed points, recording the change in the site over the seasons and years.
Take a look at the WildMap here
7. A Safe Home for the Great Crested Newt
Boothby Wildland is playing a crucial role in the conservation of the great crested newt, a species that has experienced a significant decline in recent years due to habitat loss and degradation. The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) estimates that only around 100,000 great crested newts remain in the UK.
In partnership with NatureSpace, as part of their Network Rail Organisational License, we’ve been restoring and adding vital habitats for great crested newts across the Boothby Wildland site. Eight new ponds have been created, alongside the restoration of an existing pond, where we discovered our very own great crested newt eggs during the survey process. Great crested newts need ponds to breed in, but this habitat has been lost from across the landscape over the last 100 years. By creating and restoring ponds we’re supporting great crested newt populations whilst also providing an important habitat for a myriad of other wildlife.
8. Early Signs of Nature Recovery
It’s been incredibly exciting to watch the nature recovery already taking place at both Boothby and High Fen Wildlands. For the most part all that’s needed for the land to begin its rewilding journey is time, space and protection. With two-thirds of Boothby no longer being farmed there’s already a flush of vegetation as the first plants begin to naturally colonise the ex-arable fields. As we enter another spring more tiny oak saplings will be popping up in the middle of fields – sprouting acorns ably planted by jays or fieldmice last autumn. Around them shrubs like blackthorn, hawthorn and dog rose also take root and will grow faster, eventually providing some protection for the tender young trees from our local deer.
We’ve employed a number of simple kick-starters to help give these natural processes an initial boost, for example creating piles of brash – dead wood, branches and leaves – in the middle of the fields. This creates little habitat islands in the vast fields, encouraging birds to use these to rest, setting seeds which will then be afforded some protection as they grow.
In some areas, and in partnership with the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, we’ve spread ‘green hay’ – the cuttings of species rich wildflower margins – to provide a seed source on the degraded soils, that wouldn’t otherwise find its way very quickly to the Wildland. This hay is spread over the ground and some seeds take root and establish. Our green hay sites are doing amazingly well, and we were particularly excited to find yellow rattle (Rhinanthus minor), an important species for establishing wildflower meadows. This pretty yellow flower is semi-parasitic on grass, meaning it reduces the vigour of competitive grasses, allowing other flowers to establish.
At High Fen our baseline has taught us that despite our ditches being rich in life, the fields are poor in terms of diversity and abundance. We are excited to see the ditch land plant communities begin to spread into the fields (just as the hedgerows and grass margins at Boothby are doing), as we rest the fields from grazing and topping. In the spring of 2023, we had no breeding waders at all, which was surprising as High Fen has supported good populations in the past. We’re excited to see if our management shift and the wet weather this winter provide better breeding conditions this year. Very excitingly last week we had a record of a Bittern, a first for Nattergal!
9. BNG Units available for Sale
Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) came into force in England in February 2024. BNG aims to minimise the ecological impacts of building developments by ensuring a minimum increase of biodiversity on the proposed development site by at least 10%. This measurable biodiversity increase must come from habitat creation or enhancements, either at the development or offsite. This is where companies such as Nattergal can step in, with the land we are restoring for nature being used to help to provide off site habitat units.
BNG is a requirement for every Local Planning Authority (LPA) in England – the LPA will not grant planning permission for developments until the BNG requirements are satisfied. Nattergal offers high integrity BNG units that are contributing to truly landscape scale ecosystem restoration and community engagement. Each unit is legally secured and completed before sale, and all fully managed for a period of 30 years. Our sites will use natural processes, herbivores and hydrology to deliver our habitats, creating functioning and resilient ecosystems – in perpetuity.
Read the full article about BNG here
10. Partnership
Last, but not least, we would like to thank everyone who has partnered with us in our critical early years. One of our core beliefs at Nattergal is that collaboration multiplies impact.
We are very proud that both our sites are ELMS Landscape Recovery pilots; Boothby as part of round 1 and High Fen as part of round 2, in the ambitious and collaborative Ouse Washes project. We’re nearing the end of the first phase of Landscape Recovery (LR) at Boothby, having created plans for how we will maximise nature recovery, increase site access, engage with stakeholders, and, very importantly, how we’ll monitor and evaluate our progress and fund this work. Natural England and the Environment Agency have been amazing LR partners at Boothby and, at High Fen, we are very much enjoying working with the RSPB and neighbouring farmers on Landscape Recovery.
Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust have been a critical partner for us at Boothby; helping us with our BNG plans, creating ponds, supplying green hay for our restoration works and a myriad of other things. LWT also happen to be running the Fens East Peatland Partnership which crosses the Fenland border into Norfolk and has been a crucial element of getting High Fen’s restoration plans up and running!
Over the past few years we have had a multitude of academic partnerships implementing a range of studies and baselines across our sites. At High Fen we are part of Fens of the Future project, run by University of Cambridge and UK Centre of Ecology and Hydrology out of the Centre of Landscape Regeneration; meaning we are working on a very in-depth baseline and dataset that allows us to compare across the rest of then Fens.
We also worked with University of Cambridge at Boothby to understand terrestrial invertebrate populations, alongside Imperial College London on plants. Our main academic partner at Boothby, University of Nottingham, have established a range of studies to understand Boothby’s ecological transformation.
Across both Boothby and High Fen we have worked with a huge range of additional partners - too many to mention in a single post - from local biological recorders, national specialists, students, eNGOs and companies measuring everything from plants to purple emperors to soil metrics. We have so many wonderful supporters and friends who have helped us with all aspects of our work at Nattergal and we will be forever grateful for their input and assistance.
Conclusion
In little more than two years, we can safely say that a huge amount has been achieved by our small but dedicated team. Everyone who works at Nattergal is clear about our values, priorities and operating principles, ensuring that our time is well spent on achieving our vision. Nature recovery is well underway on our current sites and will continue to be our priority, along with effective community engagement.
Our next big step is to procure several additional sites, employing lessons learnt from our first two years to help us take quicker stewardship of land. We are also in active discussion with a number of parties to explore how we might collaborate on their land to accelerate our impact.
The scale and pace of our plans is spurred on by the urgency of the situation our planet finds itself in. We need big solutions, and we need them now. It drives all we do at Nattergal, proving that nature is worth investing in and, indeed, is investable. Doing this will allow nature recovery to secure the private sector investment it desperately needs, creating a financing model that can be scaled worldwide.
We look forward to updating you on our progress. If you haven’t already done so, be sure to sign up to our newsletter in the link below.