Bison In The Mist 2 Dec2022 (Donovan Wright)

Blean Bison project

Restoring lost ecological processes with European bison

The return of European bison (Bison bonasus) to our landscapes offers a rare opportunity to bring back essential ecological processes that have been missing for centuries.

As a keystone species and ecosystem engineer, bison help shape the habitats around them through natural behaviours like grazing, browsing, trampling, and dust bathing. These actions create a richer, more diverse environment supporting wildlife, encouraging natural regeneration, and increasing the resilience of our ecosystems in ways that traditional conservation methods simply can’t replicate.

The Blean Bison Project: Letting nature lead the way

The project

In 2019, Wildwood Trust and Kent Wildlife Trust launched the Blean Bison Project in West Blean and Thornden Woods near Canterbury - a pioneering wilding initiative with a bold vision: to bring nature back by reintroducing European bison and other conservation grazers to help restore natural woodland processes.

At the heart of this project is a simple but powerful idea: let nature do what it does best. By allowing these animals to shape the landscape in the way they’ve done for thousands of years, the project aims to create a healthier, more resilient, and more biodiverse woodland.

The urgency couldn’t be clearer. According to the latest State of Nature Report, more than one in six of the UK’s native species are at risk of extinction. Wildlife in Britain is declining at an alarming rate, and traditional human management alone is no longer enough to reverse this trend. In fact, a lack of effective woodland management is now recognised as one of the key drivers of species decline.

In the words of Sir David Attenborough: “Never before has there been a more important time to invest in our own wildlife, to set an example for the rest of the world and to restore our once wild isles for future generations.”

The European bison offers a natural, sustainable solution. As a keystone species, its presence helps create the kind of dynamic, complex habitats that wildlife needs to thrive. When we give nature the space and time it needs, and reintroduce missing species like the European bison, we unlock its incredible ability to recover.

The Blean Bison project is part of a wider vision: to build a connected network of wild places across the UK, where nature is bigger, better, and more joined up. It's not just about bringing back one species, it’s about bringing back hope.

European bison: Nature’s woodland architects

European bison are one of nature’s most powerful allies when it comes to restoring and managing our woodlands in a truly wild and sustainable way. As they move through the forest, rubbing against trees and stripping bark, they create standing dead wood - vital habitats for woodpeckers, bats, and fungi.

Their sheer size allows them to forge paths through thick undergrowth, forming trails and dust bathing sites that quickly become homes for sand lizards, insects, and wildflowers. By naturally opening up the canopy, they allow sunlight to flood the forest floor, giving long-dormant seeds the chance to spring to life.

Every step a bison takes helps shape a more vibrant, diverse woodland. Through their everyday behaviour, they create microhabitats for countless other species supporting a richer, more dynamic ecosystem, just by being themselves.

Tackling climate change and the biodiversity crisis naturally

European bison also play a role in fighting climate change. Through grazing, seed dispersal, trampling, and nutrient cycling, they help lock carbon into the soil and vegetation. Their impact is not just local, it's global. A study by the Yale School of the Environment in Romania’s Țarcu Mountains found that bison-grazed grasslands are capturing ten times more carbon than before the animals were reintroduced.

European bison are more than just a symbol of wildness, they are a living solution to some of the biggest environmental challenges we face. By restoring natural processes and creating space for life to thrive, they help us build a wilder, more biodiverse, and more climate-resilient future.