05/06- Visit To Knepp
On the 5th June, the 1066 and Eastern South Downs farmers cluster visited the Knepp estate. The visit was a great insight into an extreme business model that places nature recovery and rewilding at the forefront, while also producing food. Gareth from the Weald to Waves Biological Corridor project kindly showed us around. Our tour focused on the work Knepp is doing to re-introduce species that could replicate the animals that would have roamed the landscape before human impact.
The first of these species re-introductions we saw were the storks. It is debated whether storks are historically native to England as there are no recent records that they once formed part of our landscape other than cultural anecdotal records. The Knepp estate is now home to 20 nesting pairs with approximately 40 chicks fledging in one year. They play a similar role in the landscape to a heron and usually spend the spring and summer at Knepp before heading south through France, Spain and Italy to over-winter in Africa. Chicks will spend three years abroad before returning to nest. All the first-year chicks hatched at Knepp returned to nest at the estate. Gareth spoke of storytelling and educating aspect of Knepp’s model, and the role the storks had in drawing in visitors which would benefit from nature positive experiences.
As we walked through the estate we came across long horn cattle and Tamworth pigs. The estate currently has a docile herd of 275 longhorn and 2 Tamworth sows and one boar. These free roaming species along with fallow, red and roe deer play an essential role in mimicking the large herbivore grazing ecology which helps to move nutrients through the landscape. All these species also form part of the food production operation of the estate which sells 75 tons of organic meat a year. Gareth spoke of the pressures facing farmers who want to incorporate organic and sustainable grazing methods. Often the ecological value of meat is lost in the supply chain as it is mixed in with meat from other sources. There is also the risk of losing the local abattoir which, if it was forced to close, would lead to longer travel times getting livestock to abattoirs and would risk increasing stress levels impacting the welfare of the animals.
Our final stop was Knepp’s Beaver enclosure where we discussed the benefit that a current changes to licenses for beaver release could have on river systems. Gareth stressed the positives to the re-introduction of beaver such as flood mitigation, improvements to water quality and habitat restoration. Negatives have been raised including the impacts of flood on food production and the impact of beaver on fish as a result of dams reducing river connectivity. Despite this, beaver dams are generally recognised to be much more porous in nature than hard engineered structures. Gareth stressed how these are also two species that evolved together and can live in symbiosis within a balanced eco-system. In addition, beavers don’t naturally dam in water that is deep enough for them to feel safe in, and, as a result, understanding the landscape into which beavers are being released will be essential to a successful re-introduction.
A huge thanks to Gareth for showing us around the estate.