A growing number of people in the UK are using their land for nature restoration and nature-friendly farming. Mandy Lieu writes about a recent gathering at her Ewhurst Park estate where fellow ‘rewilders’ were able to share experiences.
It was an honour to host the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust’s annual rewilding network event at Ewhurst Park, the former shooting estate that I’m turning back to nature.
The key focus of the rewilding network is to consider how food production and nature restoration can happen in tandem. Our visitors were mostly fellow landowners, from estates ranging in size, with some who have been rewilding for a long time and others who are at the start of their journey. The event was a chance to share ideas and inspiration.
For me, it was a privilege to be able to show everyone what we have been doing at Ewhurst Park. Since we started our rewilding project in 2020, we’ve grown from a team of three to a team of 16, and a lot has happened.
With rewilding work, I have learned it is vital to be patient and observant so we can discover what the land wants to do. Part of regeneration is about giving nature space and time to show you what is there beneath the decades of human interference. When we sit back and watch, we learn which species belong and want to thrive.
At the same time, gentle and sympathetic interventions can be highly beneficial. A good example of this has been our species introduction. Our beavers – released last year into an enclosure – have been busy building dams which have had a significant impact on the surrounding environment: water quality has improved and a range of plant, insect and bird species have taken up residence. In addition, our free-roaming livestock are also benefiting the land, with their manure helping to nourish the soil. These interventions have changed the landscape for the better and encouraged biodiversity.
Another example of a sympathetic intervention involves widening the rides through the woodlands so more sunlight can reach the ground, which will promote the growth of ground flora.
A third example has been our struggle to decide how best to deal with ash dieback, the disease that is killing ash trees across Europe. We’re not alone in trying to strategise how to best deal with this problem. We initially considered a mass felling of every infected tree. But rather than rush into it, we’ve been monitoring each tree and noticing how some are developing resilience. We’re now hopeful that some of the trees can be saved: our patience is paying dividends.
As mentioned above, restoring nature is only half of the equation. The other half is to establish and develop nature-friendly forms of food production. We enjoyed a great example of this at our networking event. At lunch time, we gathered at a long table set up in one of our ancient semi-natural woodlands. Surrounded by trees, bluebells and birdsong, we enjoyed delicious and colourful food that had either been foraged from around the estate or grown in our kitchen garden.
And, as we sat together and shared our experiences, I could see another of our goals here at Ewhurst Park coming to fruition, which is to create opportunities to bring people together: for fellowship and education and to grow community.
We want to encourage everyone to play their part in the rewilding journey. Whether you have access to an estate, garden or an allotment, the more we can play our part in restoring nature and producing food without harming the land, the more it will add up.
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
