Biodiversity plan & projects
We are at a critical time in history and we all play a role in how we show up for the environment. Every choice we make has an environmental impact and we must own this reality in our daily actions as individuals, communities and a global collective. Our vision at The Rewilding is to nurture, protect and help nature and humans thrive together in the same ecosystem we are part of, remembering that we are nature, not apart from nature.
A key role in our climate emergency has been our increasing separation and disconnection with the natural world and each other. We believe it’s critical we actively establish more spaces to reconnect with each other and (re)learn about our natural world.
Some context on our location...
There are various habitats to explore at The Rewilding, from woodlands, ponds, grazing pastures, a wildflower meadow, well established and newly planted hedgerows to finding your way back to the salt marshes of Morecambe Bay Estuary (SSSI), one of the most important ecological sites in the UK and home to thousands of migratory birds that come and go throughout the seasons, calling our spot home and tucking into the local delicacies of The Morecambe Bay mud canteen. In the surrounding areas you can see the views out toward The Lake District (UNESCO) World Heritage Site and Forest of Bowalnd (AONB).
Our rewilding project
We have carefully allocated a 3-acre plot of land to rewild.
The site is located surrounding a large pond and in between 2 woodlands. We've chosen this spot to create a more connected wildlife corridor between the woodlands and encourage a more biodiverse water body as well as establish more coverage and shrub for wildlife and small mammals.
In March 2022 we planted over 300 saplings to establish a new hedgerow which will create an additional habitat and corridor. This managed approach to rewilding means we will create a new habitat for a myriad of wildlife but enables us to establish a boundary marker to stop livestock from crossing into this dedicated rewilding area.
This area is already a busy spot for nature, it's common to see Roe deer, hares, heron, kingfishers and much more. We hope our efforts will continue to encourage more species and habitats and invite you to, watch this space!
Learn more about the ongoing conservation across our site
We are striving to...
To enhance our space where biodiversity can thrive, we can produce high-quality food from our farm and our guests can explore, enjoy and connect with nature and each other in a responsible and respectful way.
Create opportunities for visitors to come and learn, interact with and experience nature and the health benefits of being in the outdoors.
Like nature, we are constantly evolving. We strive to continue to learn from nature and evolve with these learnings to become better and to do better for the health of the planet.
An inclusive space for all to enjoy the countryside including full accessibility for disabled visitors.
Our family farm and nature
As a farming family, we are very connected to the land and communities that surround us and we are very fortunate to be located across a site where we can actively develop and improve the natural environment. More than half of the UK’s species are in decline and unfortunately, a lot of this is due to intensive agriculture. It's important that landowners are adapting to these changes.
We do this in many ways by planting trees and hedgerows, establishing new ponds, rewilding and encouraging our guests to get outside and enjoy nature.
Over 70% of the land in the UK is owned by farmers, this is why it is more important than ever that we band together, not against each other. We believe that farming and nature can coexist and thrive together, whereby good quality food is produced and consumed in the same country and our UK biodiversity is protected and maintained. We take a managed approach to our conservation and biodiversity efforts on the farm to ensure we can run the farm with nature-friendly farming practices and be responsible for the environment. We have been accredited by LEAF and continuously seek, take advice and are inspected on best practices.
The family farm has seen much change over the year, and will continue to going forward. We believe farmers can be part of the solution to our climate crisis and we always strive for our farm to be a place where both nature and farming work together.
Renewable Energy
Cockerham Green Energy is an anaerobic digester that's based on our family farm and processes agricultural waste into gas for heating and power. Our main objective is to produce energy that goes into the National Grid. We currently provide around 600K of energy.
There are many byproducts from this process which enable a wide circular economy, for example, organic fertiliser, heat for drying logs.
In a world where there is increasing demand for sustainable energy sources, this is one of many examples in agriculture where farmers are bringing innovation and solutions in replacing fossil fuels with renewables.