A lot can happen during a year of ‘rewilding’. At Ewhurst Park we are turning a 925-acre former hunting estate back to nature, and we have seen some incredible changes as a result of tactical land management, which often involves simply leaving nature to do its own thing with some gentle interventions.
We started 2023 with the strategic release of two beavers into an enclosure on the estate – this is the first time beavers have been seen in the wild in Hampshire for over 400 years. We installed a ‘beaver cam’ and have been following their adventures all year.
The beavers had built their first dam by the autumn. Beavers are known as ‘ecosystem engineers’ because they encourage biodiversity by modifying landscapes to create new habitats, in water and on land. Their dams and water corridors create pools of water where micro-organisms, insects and birds can flourish. In fact, our beaver cam captured a moorhen looking very pleased with the new dam! Moorhens like to nest in floating vegetation, and they certainly approved of this ecosystem upgrade.
Another benefit of the beavers’ industry is that the water systems they create filter out pollutants and prevent flood damage by holding back water from heavy rainfall. So these herbivore mammals can really benefit both nature and the human population. Meanwhile, on land, the beavers fell trees to create small areas of bare ground – this allows sunlight to hit the forest floor, and we’re looking forward to seeing how this changes the ground flora.
We welcomed many other newcomers to Ewhurst Park in 2023. We found evidence of small mammals nesting in the hedgerows we planted and sleeping in the grass we left uncut. It’s lovely to know that small mammals – such as mice and voles – now feel safe to make their homes in the wild margins that thread around the park.
Birdlife is also on the increase. We’ve seen new species of nesting birds, while other birds are dropping by on their migration journeys. We were excited to see a pair of aquatic warblers making a pit stop en route from Scandinavia to Zambia; they spotted the water in the beaver enclosure and dropped in for a rest. We were also pleased to welcome some house martins – which are on the ‘UK Birds of Conservation Concern Red List’ – they have found a home with us, nesting on some of our buildings.
In addition, we’ve spotted green sandpipers, curlews and woodlarks. We have blackbirds, we’ve seen snipes in the beaver enclosure, and we’ve heard nightjars. We found the nests of some lesser spotted woodpeckers in our ancient woodland: these birds are quite rare – they are quite literally ‘lesser spotted’! With all these exciting new residents and guests, the collection of birdsong recordings on my phone is growing rapidly!
When I first arrived here, the estate was very quiet; I found it bizarre that I could hear only a few insects and I didn’t spot any grasshoppers when I walked through the parkland. But I am proud that over the last summer we had an explosion of dragonflies and butterflies – and whenever I walked through the parkland, I saw grasshoppers leaping about. These are signs of bio-abundance and biodiversity, which indicates a healthy ecosystem.
Plant life is also exploding. During a foraging event in September, we found nearly 20 species of mushroom, including chantarelle, brittlegill and a parasitic bolete. We’ve been collecting wildflower seeds from established flower populations and over-seeding barren areas of the estate – in time, these fields will be bursting with wildflowers and buzzing with pollinators.
Even the storms have helped with regeneration by bringing down old trees. Having moved any that were in harm’s way, our policy is to leave the trees to rot down naturally due to the ecological benefits. Fallen trees provide food and shelter for many species of animals, including reptiles and amphibians; insects and other organisms can feed off the rotting wood, which also releases nutrients into the soil; and the decaying surface provides a substrate for mosses, lichen and fungi.
The winter storms brought welcome flooding to our woodlands, with water levels reaching their peak in late December. Trickles of water became streams, and the sound of small waterfalls could be heard throughout the woods. Wet woodlands are an increasingly rare habitat, but they are ideal for biodiversity because they offer a mosaic of sunlit and shaded areas, water and wood. The high humidity supports ferns and mosses, while the damp dead wood provides food and shelter for insects and birds. Amphibians and reptiles use the ponds and pools, and the trees provide habitat and cover for bats and small mammals. Furthermore, wet woodlands act as a filtration system which cleans the water by holding back pollution and agricultural run-off.
There’s so much more I could write about. 2023 saw a lot happening and we have exciting plans for 2024, such as developing an area of chalk grassland – this type of habitat can host up to 45 species of flowering plants in a single square metre, which in turn supports insects, small mammals and birds.
And while we restore the land, it’s important to note that we continue to be a working farm. We want to show that it’s possible to restore nature in manner that is sympathetic with food production. Our livestock-rearing and vegetable plots operate in harmony with our work to regenerate the land. We feel this type of restorative work is what is needed in the UK – and, indeed, throughout world. The human species needs to get better at living in harmony with nature.
Read more of Mandy’s articles in Sublime Magazine
About the Author
Mandy Lieu is an exclusive columnist for Sublime Magazine, food systems entrepreneur and philanthropist. Having enjoyed success across Asia as a model, film and TV actress, she moved to the UK in 2015 to start a family and join the revolution in local, sustainable food. Now Mandy is transforming her lifelong passion for nutrition and food systems into a business – she owns The Good Plot, a new farm-to-table restaurant and Ewhurst Park a regenerative farm. Visit Mandy’s Blog
