Wildland in Focus: What made Knepp Special?

I have always wanted to go to Knepp which is the closest most people in the UK will ever get to seeing wildlife in something even close to a truly natural environment. It surprised me how different Knepp was from other places I had been, even simple things like the presence of ragwort. Having worked with grazing animals previously, while I was aware of ragwort it was as a pest that was removed quickly, so seeing fields of it in full bloom was a completely new and surprising experience for me.

The sheer density of wildlife at Knepp was astounding everyday you saw something new – in our very first survey we saw three of the Knepp big five and a wealth of birds, lizards and butterflies. It was an immersive experience that was unlike anything I had encountered before.

For me the experience was enhanced by us not simply being observers or fleeting visitors to the site. Being part of the research being undertaken on site was the most rewarding part of the expedition for me. Actively working to assess diversity across the site and having the impact of the research conducted shown and explained was more than I have gained from other similar experiences. The Research Assistants on the Opwall expedition were more involved than I have previously been on other projects The staff and volunteers created an inclusive group of like-minded people that instigated stimulating discussions both while on task and in down time.

The entire experience from seeing a new type of management across the estate and engaging with industry professionals was engaging and meaningful and a constant rush of joy from immersing oneself in nature. It is an experience I will never forget and one I think is important as contributing to the site and long-term monitoring of different species is a more meaningful way of interacting with wildlife than people would usually do. I think that interactive experiences like this are important both for encouraging and supporting people who are starting out in conservation and inspiring people to be interested in the natural world to begin with.

Title photo by Ana Martinez