Join a wilder Kent walking safari – discover how bison and beaver shape wild places
Kent Wildlife Trust have released dates for bespoke walking tours at The Blean and Ham Fen reserves to showcase exciting wilding projects which will help the fortunes of Kent’s wildlife and wild places.
The 2½ hour walking tours start 3rd June and will give groups of up to eight people detailed information with an expert guide. Groups will learn about plans at The Blean, near Canterbury, where the Trust will release bison next year, joining Exmoor ponies and other grazing animals to help manage the reserve in a more natural way.
Despite their size, bison are peaceful animals. Their ability to fell trees by rubbing up against them, and eating the bark, creates space for a wide range of other species to thrive. No other species can perform this job in quite the same way. The bison will be accompanied by other grazing animals to create the greatest plant and animal biodiversity possible; generating stronger habitats through natural processes that will withstand the current environmental crisis and species decline, and in the long run, reverse it.
Groups at Ham Fen – a site near Sandwich usually closed to the public – will have exclusive access and learn about the UK’s first beaver reintroduction programme, and the impact this has had on the reserve, waterways and other wildlife. Groups may even get a glimpse of these enigmatic creatures – or at least signs of their work.
The events will speak of the wilding and restoration plans of the Trust, highlighting how these reintroductions increase biodiversity across Kent using the natural, eco engineering benefits of beavers on waterways and grazing animals to look after wild places.
Louise Matthews, supporter experience manager says: “A Wilder Safari with Kent Wildlife Trust offers the perfect opportunity for an in-depth experience at these special reserves. They are for anyone looking for a unique way to spend time outdoors, learning more about our plans and the work going on in the wilder areas of Kent.”
These will be small group events which is expected to be popular and are for anyone interested in local nature conservation, wildling and restoration.
Tickets are £50 per person and can be booked at www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/safaris
Kent Wildlife Trust is the county’s leading conservation charity with more than 31,000 members and over 1,000 registered volunteers. We manage and protect over 9000 acres of land across more than 80 different sites and nature reserves, alongside 3 visitor centres. We work closely with local communities, landowners, and partners to protect and improve habitats in the countryside, coast, and town for the benefit of the wildlife and people of Kent.
