Isabella Tree talks about her experience of rewilding at Knepp

I included an interview with Isabella Tree in a recent The Joy of Six because her book Wilding is such an inspiration:

It tells the story of the daring wildlife experiment that Isabella and her husband Charlie began in 2000: rewilding their 3,500 acres of unprofitable farmland at Knepp Estate in West Sussex.

In less than twenty years the degraded land has become a functioning ecosystem again, wildlife has rocketed and numerous endangered species have made Knepp their home. What has happened at Knepp challenges conventional ideas about nature, wildlife and how we manage and envisage our land. It reveals the potential for the landscapes of the future.

Wilding leaves you with faith in nature's power to restore and regulate itself. Tree tells of an episode where their land was invaded by creeping thistle, which crowded out other species and gave rise to grumbles from neighbouring farmers.

One day, out of nowhere, a flock of tens of thousands of painted lady butterflies descended on Knepp. Their caterpillars feasted on the thistle and damaged the plants to such an extent that they have never regrown. The butterflies have never reappeared either.

Tree says that while middle-aged visitors tended to be disapproving of the 'untidiness' of their farm, children loved the abundant wildlife and older visitors said wonderingly that this is what farms used to be like when they were young.

You can hear Isabella Tree talking her about her ideas and experience at Knepp in the video above.

Tree, incidentally, is the adopted daughter of one of the sons of Ronald Tree, who was Conservative MP, who was Conservative MP for Harborough from 1933 to 1945.