Our Mission
The Knepp Wildland Foundation was founded to catalyse nature recovery across Sussex and beyond. We are using the lessons learned from the rewilding of the Knepp Estate to provide the evidence, knowledge and inspiration to support nature recovery at scale, with a particular focus on the next generation.
“We have two decades of evidence to back a simple, powerful fact: when given space, nature bounces back.”
— Libby Drew, Director, Knepp Wildland Foundation
Our Strategic Areas
Knowledge and Influence
We are developing new tools and platforms to share the knowledge and evidence generated at Knepp with a wide audience. Through data collection, citizen science, research, and storytelling, we are exploring new ways to make information accessible and engage a broader range of students, researchers, and policymakers.
New generation
We are investing in training, research and employment opportunities for 16-25 year olds. Our aim is to create skilled, confident youth networks who can steer nature recovery into a new era. Through partnerships, including Operation Wallacea and Duke of Edinburgh, we will run residential placements and courses for the next generation of ecologists and young leaders.
Landscape recovery
We are working towards a 100+ mile nature recovery corridor, Weald to Waves, running from Ashdown Forest, to the restored kelp forests off the Sussex coast, with Knepp at its heart. The corridor will ignite and inspire collaborations across Sussex. We are also coordinating the Adur River Recovery project; a Sussex-born blueprint for restoring UK rivers.
Species Recovery
We are actively restoring lost species to the British landscape, leading the White Stork Project and working to reintroduce the red-backed shrike and black-veined white butterfly. Through strong conservation and zoological partnerships, we drive research, mapping, and the international collaboration needed to bring wildlife back from the brink.