How can rewilding take root in a landscape as densely populated, fragmented, and historically cultivated as lowland Britain? In this talk, Charlie Burrell explored that question through the remarkable story of the Knepp Wildland Project in West Sussex – a pioneering experiment in letting nature lead.
Knepp began over twenty years ago as a bold gamble: to step back from intensive agriculture and allow natural processes to shape the land. The result has been a flourishing mosaic of habitats – scrub, wood pasture, wetland and meadow – alive with returning species from turtle doves to purple emperors and nightingales. But Knepp is also part of a wider movement. Across Britain and Europe, rewilding is challenging assumptions about conservation, land use, and the relationship between people and nature.
Charlie used Knepp as a model to examine the spectrum of rewilding – from large-scale wilderness restoration to smaller, community-led and agricultural projects. Drawing on historical land use, he discussed how the landscapes of the past can inform the ecological and social choices of the future.
The talk also explored the powerful forces now driving the rewilding movement – from climate change and biodiversity loss to a growing recognition that nature recovery can deliver real economic and social benefits. Charlie highlighted the emerging role of philanthropy, particularly through the Endangered Landscapes and Seascapes Programme of the Cambridge Conservation Initiative, which is helping to finance major restoration projects across Europe.
Finally, he turned to one of the most exciting frontiers in this field: how Nature-Based Solutions can be valued and monetised to create sustainable funding streams for nature. Using Nattergal, a company he chairs, as a case study, Charlie showed how private capital and ecological ambition can align to restore degraded landscapes, capture carbon, and revive biodiversity.
This video recorded an inspiring evening charting the next chapter in Britain’s evolving relationship with the wild.
