Nature reserve celebrates five years of rewilding

The reserve invited visitors from Snettisham to hear about its rewilding project

A nature reserve is celebrating five years since the start of its rewilding project.

Wild Ken Hill, at Snettisham, Norfolk, has opened its doors to tell local residents about the project.

The reserve, which has hosted BBC Springwatch and Autumnwatch, changed its farming methods to focus on regenerative farming and soil health.

Dominic Buscall, manager of Wild Ken Hill, said: "We are building the soil health back up... We are actually starting to think we could get our yields back up."

Since the project began in 2019, the site has reintroduced a number of animals including Eurasian beavers, Red Poll cattle, Exmoor ponies and Tamworth pigs.

The animals will help expand habitats and be a part of managing the transition from marginal agricultural land to scrub, heath and woodland.

It is hoped they will provide vital habitats for other animals that graze and live on the reserve.

Dominic Buscall said a large part of the project has been about educating people about nature and how their food was produced

Mr Buscall said engaging and educating people about nature and how their food was produced was a big part of the project.

"We are farming regeneratively so we are building the soil health year after year," he said.

"As we are building the soil health back up, we are actually starting to think we could get our yields back up... through healthy soil, not by using chemical inputs."

Martin Perry, visiting the site, was pleased to see areas damaged by a fire in 2022 growing back

A 33-hectare (82-acre) section of the site was damaged in July 2022 after a fire that started due to a heatwave.

Martin Perry, 64, visiting the site, said: "It's quite surprising to see what had and hadn't burnt... it is coming back, when you go down there it's good to see.

"I didn't realise quite how long it was going to take for all of it to come back."

The site has reintroduced a number of animals including Eurasian beavers, Red Poll cattle, Exmoor ponies and Tamworth pigs

Hetty Grant, conservation manager, said she hoped other farms could follow the reserve's farming model, which uses less fertilizers in food production.