Can Ancient Cattle & Water Voles Restore Rural Great Britain? | WILD HOPE

For years, Derek Gow worked his 400-acres in western England as a conventional sheep and cattle farm. But as both a farmer and conservationist, he knew that wasn’t right for nature. Now, he’s using his experience with British rewilding projects to return his land to what it once was: a healthy, biodiverse ecosystem.

He took down the fences and sold off the livestock, replacing domesticated animals with ancestral species, chosen for the way they create habitat for wild creatures, large and small.

Derek also reintroduced beavers to his land. Beavers had virtually disappeared from England, but Derek was on the forefront of reestablishing the species. Known for their ability as eco-engineers, they return the landscape to a natural, healthy state and restore water to the ecosystem. He’s also breeding a smaller cousin of the beaver that is another important eco-architect: water voles. They had also almost vanished, having lost the water features needed for their survival. His large-scale breeding program will export water voles throughout Britain to restore habitat and provide prey for raptors and other predators.

Piece by piece, Derek Gow is reassembling the puzzle that was the wild landscape of Great Britain, and restoring hope along the way.

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[angelicaantezana]

Ever since discovering Wild Hope, my hope for restoring lost habitats has skyrocketed. Thank you so much to all that have contributed to saving the world!

More people need to become aware of this and spread these ideas for better change.

Edit: I needed to clarify myself. I meant Wild Hope, I appreciate that PBS is airing Wild Hope and helping spread the awareness to the public.

[kendrickkelly]

Imagine what would happen if American ago-business industrial farms were required to re-wild the borders around their agricultural land. Yes, it would mean the acreage would be less efficient in food production and there will probably be a slight price increase in the items produced...But we share this planet with an entire ecosystem of wild living things that also deserve to live and thrive.

[itstruckmeeveryday]

This is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen! Oh how I’d love to do this kind of work! 😍

[peasinourthyme]

What an ambassadour! Sure, they might be small steps in the larger picture, but for one person´s work, what Derek Gow is doing is huge!

[kaze]

Holy cow, Derek is like a superhero! He might just be responsible for the UK re-wilding and re-introducing these species back to its native land! Love this series!!

[nancyfahey]

You're out there having so much fun and feeling the satisfaction.

[johnproctor]

I’ve seen this before, and loved it as much then as now.

[sjferguson]

How wonderful! He's doing great things for Mother Earth 😊

[mddell]

Thank you, sir!
I'm an older American woman.
What you are doing is beautiful in many ways!
God bless you.
❤

[Unsolicitedbias]

Beavers in temperature forests; Bison in Poland and North American Prairies, Elephant in the Savannah. I give a lot of credit to people wanting to farm "smarter" and the internet with it's going on fire explosion of information and programs.

[dukenegju]

Supergreat fellow humans, you are real keepers! Thank you! Much love

[Sisteryoda]

This is so inspiring! How did you find the animals indigenous to the region?
I hear there’s also a similar project going on in Scotland - would love to see a segment on that.

[petersterling]

This is Fantastic for the Land, The People and All the Animals not to mention the Incredibly fertile Soil and Crops!! Its Exactly what Every country needs to do to Restore the Health and Vitality of Land, Crops and People Worldwide!!

[sophiareygrace]

I LOVE THESE KIND OF VIDEOS PLEASE DO MORE ❤

[susanr]

Excellent!
I understand some of the concerns noted below, but rewilding tracts of land can be adjacent to farmland. The benefits of the rewilded land can spread into the farmland. A relative of mine is a soil scientist and soil scientists have been pushing for much-decreased chemicals in our soil, so it is a similar issue.

[HiFiGardener]

How is he making money with these changes? What’s the funding model? Selling native animal species? Is that more or less profitable than the farming he was doing previously? Is the effort being subsidized by government?

[Unsolicitedbias]

I do hope that Derek and others have families that support the vision and task. It would be sad to see this transition stop or at least loose impetus. There needs to be change as he says. But also there needs to be cultural change and that requires Continuity of Culture. Humans from one generation to the next need to see and believe the value created by their fore fathers.

I hope this is still the case on Derek's farm 10 generations hence.

[jimfrodsham]

A jock farmer in Cornwall building an eco friendly environment, now that's what I call diversity 😅

[eliseolopez]

A BILLION RIVERS A SEA OF TREES FOR RAIN SEA MAMMALS, A SEA OF DOLPHINS TO MAKE RAIN FOR THE LAND. I AM

[eliseolopez]

The best dna of all species to fill restore the whole world