How Devon is Redefining the UK’s Rewilding Movement

Across the United Kingdom, the urgent twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change have forced conservationists to think beyond traditional, passive protection. The emerging answer is rewilding—the large-scale restoration of ecosystems to a point where nature can take care of itself. While projects are cropping up nationwide, one county has quietly positioned itself as the undisputed crucible of the movement: Devon.

From the rugged heights of Dartmoor and Exmoor to lush river valleys and pioneering urban developments, Devon is serving as a living laboratory for the future of British nature. Through a combination of radical species reintroductions, massive habitat creation, and unexpected animal “architects,” the county is mapping out a blueprint for ecological recovery.

The Arrival of the “Wetland Architects”: Exmoor’s Water Buffalo

In October 2025, the National Trust launched a groundbreaking rewilding initiative at Tattiscombe in North Devon that perfectly encapsulates the county’s radical approach. Six female water buffalo were introduced to a 120-acre site spanning wood pasture, grassland, and river valleys.

+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                    DEVON REWILDING LANDMARKS (2024-2026)          |
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| Bowden Pillars:    17,000 rainforest trees planted (April 2026)   |
| Two Moors Project: 34 wild pine martens released across the county|
| Tattiscombe Site:  6 water buffalo deployed as wetland engineers  |
| Sherford Town:     Green corridors bridging ancient & modern land |
| Grasslands Goal:   70 miles of new species-rich meadow by 2026    |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

Though native to Asia, these hardy animals possess a unique tolerance for waterlogged terrain, making them ideal ecological engineers. Rather than relying on heavy, disruptive machinery to manage the landscape, conservationists are letting the buffalo do the work. Using their massive hooves, they naturally churn the soil, dig out wallows, and keep open ponds clear. This behavior drastically slows the flow of surface water, boosting natural water retention across Exmoor. The result is a highly diverse mosaic of habitats that insulates the landscape against both flash flooding and severe droughts.

Returning the Lost Ghosts: The Two Moors Pine Marten Project

While the famous reintroduction of beavers on the River Otter pioneered the UK’s acceptance of mammalian reintroductions, Devon’s latest success story involves an entirely different, elusive predator: the pine marten.

Extinct in the South West for more than a century due to historical habitat fragmentation and human persecution, these cat-sized omnivores are making a triumphant return through the Two Moors Pine Marten Project. Led by the Devon Wildlife Trust, the project successfully released 15 pine martens onto Dartmoor in autumn 2024, followed by another 19 on Exmoor in autumn 2025.

By April 2026, tracking data and remote camera traps brought the breakthrough conservationists had been waiting for: proof that the animals were thriving, establishing distinct territories, and successfully breeding. As natural predators of grey squirrels and small rodents, their re-establishment is crucial to restoring the ecological health and resilience of Devon’s ancient woodlands.

Resurrecting the Atlantic Rainforest: Bowden Pillars

Devon’s rewilding vision extends well beyond fauna; it is also physically altering the botanical map of the UK. On April 20, 2026, the Devon Wildlife Trust announced the successful completion of the first major phase of its temperate rainforest creation project at Bowden Pillars, near Totnes.

       +-------------------------------------------------------+
       |         BOWDEN PILLARS ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION          |
       +-------------------------------------------------------+
       |                                                       |
       |  [Acquisition] 30 hectares of former sheep-grazed land|
       |    │                                                  |
       |  [The Sowing] 17,000 local saplings planted (2026)     |
       |    │                                                  |
       |  [The Canopy] Mix of Oak, Birch, Rowan, Holly & Alder |
       |    │                                                  |
       |  [Future State] Climate-resilient temperate rainforest|
       |                                                       |
       +-------------------------------------------------------+

Supported by funding from Aviva, an army of local volunteers braved one of the wettest winters on record to plant 17,000 native trees and shrubs across a 30-hectare site of former sheep-grazed land. The carefully structured design intersperses open glades and wildflower meadows with dense pockets of oak, birch, rowan, holly, alder, willow, and hazel saplings.

Over the coming decades, the damp, humid maritime climate of Devon will allow this site to mature into a rare temperate rainforest ecosystem—ultimately providing a pristine sanctuary for mosses, lichens, pine martens, and rare woodland birds.

Urban Green Spaces and Sherford

Devon is also proving that rewilding is not a philosophy restricted to remote national parks; it is actively being woven into modern urban planning. A premier example of this is the ongoing creation of Sherford, a brand-new town of 5,500 homes currently being constructed on the outskirts of Plymouth.

During extensive development excavations throughout 2024 and 2025, archaeologists uncovered a staggering continuum of history, unearthing Neolithic ritual burial sites alongside the 30,000-to-60,000-year-old Ice Age remains of megafauna like woolly mammoths, woolly rhinoceroses, and hyenas.

Rather than cementing over this landscape, the developers (the Sherford Consortium) and local community trusts are using these geographic insights to shape the town’s expanding Country Park. Community volunteers are actively laying living hedges and planting willow whips in wet meadows to naturally manage urban water drainage. The design prioritizes wide, interconnected green corridors that loop through residential zones, allowing local wildlife to pass through safely and ensuring that modern human communities live with nature, rather than apart from it.

Connecting the Landscape: The 70-Mile Grassland Goal

To prevent these projects from becoming isolated islands of green, Devon is thinking on a landscape scale. The National Trust’s North Devon Grasslands Project is currently finalizing a monumental initiative to create and connect species-rich grasslands across a 70-mile corridor stretching from Torridge to West Exmoor.

By harvesting yellow rattle and other wildflower seeds from established donor sites like Woolacombe Down, rangers and local farming tenants have systematically over-sown degraded habitats. Yellow rattle acts as a natural parasite to aggressive grasses, clearing space for native wildflowers to take root. By restoring these meadows on a massive scale, Devon is securing vital, continuous hunting corridors for vulnerable species like the Greater Horseshoe bat, ensuring long-term genetic survival across the region.

Summing Up

Devon’s leadership in the UK rewilding movement thrives on its willingness to embrace ecological complexity. Whether it is deploying water buffalo to reshape Exmoor’s wetlands, tracking the recovery of apex woodland predators, or planting the rainforests of the next century, the county refuses to settle for simple conservation.

By demonstrating that rewilding can coexist with agriculture, benefit local economies, and be integrated directly into new housing developments, Devon is proving that giving control back to nature is the single most effective way to secure our collective future.

Looking for a rewilding strategy for your local area? Get in touch with StoneRow, a Plymouth based sustainability consultancy and rewilding partner.