At Knepp Wildland, the real carbon revolution lies hidden in the soil.

From abundance, to decline, to resurgence

As daylight drains from the Knepp Estate, something remarkable begins. Badgers nose out from their setts. Moths lift like smoke. Bats slice silent lines through the dusk. And all around, an orchestra of unseen life begins to play.

Centuries ago, water at Knepp was not just a natural force—it was an engine of industry. Streams flowing through the Sussex Weald were dammed to create hammer ponds, artificial lakes that powered the hammers of the Wealden iron industry. One of these, Kneppmill Pond, still exists today and has become a significant ecological site.

Why herbivores, not carnivores, are the keystone of Knepp’s wilding story.

The wider context around the emergence of rewilding as a philosophy.