WINCHESTER College welcomed two guest speakers to discuss nature recovery in the UK.

The two speakers were the creator of Knepp Wildland Sir Charles Burrell and ecologist Derek Gow.

Sir Charles created Knepp Wildland alongside his wife, author Isabella Tree. The wildland is a 1,400-hectare estate in Sussex which is synonymous with rewilding and regenerative farming.

The success of Knepp’s turtle dove, nightingale and purple emperor butterfly populations has inspired many to think differently about Britain’s wild spaces, and earned Sir Charles the moniker “King of Rewilding”. As he noted, “The biggest change that is going to happen in our landscape is regenerative agriculture”.

Meanwhile, Derek Gow is an ecologist, reintroduction specialist, farmer and the author of Bringing Back The Beaver.

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Derek has reintroduced 25,000 water voles and dozens of beavers to British waterways, saying: “Beavers are the creators of life - without beavers, there is no life”.

Derek’s determination to win over doubters and cut through bureaucratic red tape has built his reputation as a “rewilding maverick” and an inspiring writer and speaker.

The two men delivered an inspiring presentation to pupils and staff from Hampshire schools on what a wilder Britain could look like and how it could be achieved. They emphasised the necessity of this change in the face of an ecological crisis and showed how it could be delivered in a financially viable way that supported food production.

Winchester College’s grounds include 100 acres of ancient water meadows, 4.5 miles of the River Itchen and many areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty including St Catherine’s Hill, Twyford Down and the Fallodon Nature Reserve.

Pupils are involved in a number of environmental initiatives, working in partnership with wildlife organisations, and were fascinated by Gow and Burrell’s vision for a wilder Winchester.