Bison from Kent help nature rebuild at Castletown Estate in Cumbria
European bison form breeding herd in new wildlife project
Earlier this year, five European bison from Kent’s Blean Bison Project arrived at Castletown Estate in Cumbria to join a new wildlife restoration initiative known as Solway Wild Lands.
These bison are forming a new breeding group to aid regeneration on 4,000 acres, combining grazing animals, woodland growth, and natural water systems. This approach not only aims to restore local wildlife but also maintains a productive landscape.
The project builds on the success of Kent's pioneering Blean Bison Project with bison already reversing woodland degradation and enhancing biodiversity.
The Wildwood Trust, which owns the bison, has been actively advising on this new venture. Drawing from their experience in Kent, they’ve witnessed the environmental benefits of free-roaming bison herds.
Paul Whitfield, Wildwood Trust's Director General, said, “From the outset, the ambition at Blean was to show what’s possible - that by putting nature back in charge, we can begin to restore the essential ecological processes that our landscapes have been missing for centuries.
"To now see bison from that founding herd established and thriving in Cumbria is incredibly encouraging. It shows that this approach works and can be adapted and applied in very different landscapes."
At Castletown Estate, natural processes such as grazing, browsing, and wetland creation are gradually reshaping the land.
Toby Mounsey-Heysham, a key figure in the project, added, “This project is about creating a living landscape, not managing towards a fixed end point.
"We’re allowing natural processes to do the work - Bison are one part of that process, but they sit within a much broader approach to how the land is managed.
"The aim is to show that you can run a landscape that works for nature and remains economically viable in the long term.”
The herd remaining in Kent includes One-horn, her male calf from 2025, and two females born in 2024.
With the UK’s first two bison bridges now open in Kent, the remaining two bridges are expected to be completed later this year, further promoting long-term growth.
Paul Hadaway from Kent Wildlife Trust reflected on the power of keystone species in conservation said, "The bison have created habitat complexity through their natural behaviour - breaking up dense scrub, dust bathing and debarking, and generating the conditions for bio-abundance.
"The expansion to the north marks a critical step in establishing bison as part of the UK's conservation toolkit. These animals restore natural processes that have been missing from our landscapes for millennia.”
The Castletown Estate project features in ZUBR – Here Be Giants, a short documentary showcasing European bison conservation. The film premiered last year and has been awarded Best Short Film at the 2025 Wildlife Conservation Film Festival.