Boothby Wildland in Lincolnshire (just an hours drive from Market Harborough), is a 617 hectare arable farm with variable grade 3 soil types. It was purchased in December 2021, and set up as a rewilding project.
They have a Community Walk around the farm, on the 2nd Tuesday of every month from 10am - 12 noon, which is well worth joining.
Boothby will stagger its retreat from arable farming over the next three years, gradually removing fields from intensive cereal production. The farm has been part of a well managed agri-environment scheme for the past decade – meaning that around the edges are small species-rich hotspots of nature waiting to burst out and colonise the depleted monoculture arable fields. Together with the variable soil types, the degraded River Glen, and adjacent ancient woodland, this makes Boothby a wonderful opportunity for nature recovery.
Once natural vegetation has a chance to re-establish (primarily through natural colonisation) free-roaming herbivores (including longhorn cattle, deer, ponies and pigs) will be introduced to kickstart dynamic natural processes and drive ecosystem recovery. Natural hydrology on the site will also be restored to further stimulate a dynamic, functioning ecosystem - maybe even with the introduction of Beavers!
As one of the 22 first-round ELMs Landscape Recovery pilots, Boothby will demonstrate how to build an innovative business model for rewilding, sell ecosystem services, help establish a rewilding community and encourage nature to thrive.
Find out more on the Boothby Wildland website
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