An ‘International School of Rewilding’ (ISR) proposal for a 140-hectare site with elk-rewilded wetlands and visitor facilities has won the support of an Isle of Wight town council.
Sandown Town Council (STC) yesterday evening (Monday) agreed to throw its weight behind the plans which Lawrence Bates, chief executive officer at the Wildheart Trust, said would create the “most amazing wildlife spectacle” and “drive people into the area”.
Developing a ‘year-round visitor economy’
As reported by OnTheWight last week, the ISR would be an ‘international centre for research, study and innovation in environmental sciences that will cater for students from the Island and the mainland’, according to a Wildheart Animal Sanctuary (WAS) paper presented to STC.
It would develop a ‘year-round visitor economy’ and investment partnerships with universities and environmental science industries, build Sandown and the Bay Area’s reputation and deliver ‘real and lasting nature recovery work’.
According to a document presented to STC, the site location includes underused parts of the Wildheart Animal Sanctuary Isle of Wight, areas of the Browns Estate formerly used for golf and inland grazing marshes by the River Yar.
Bates: Increasing the amount of wildlife we already have
Speaking at Sandown’s Broadway Centre, Mr Bates said,
“We want to restore the wetland that is already there and Natural England and Environment Agency have a remit to improve it and make it wetter already.
“We want to restore 140 hectares of land, creating open areas of water, allowing migratory birds to come here, allowing overwintering birds and increasing the amount of wildlife we already have.
“But to manage that we want to do it with next-generation techniques and that’s with megaherbivores like European Elk or water buffalo or similar; and that will put us on the map because there’s only a handful of places in the UK that have done this.
“You’ve only got to look at the statistics from the Blean Project in Kent to see what this does for tourism – eco-tourism is huge.
“And the increased amount of birdlife, the addition of iconic species will create the most amazing wildlife spectacle which will drive people into the area.”
What to expect
The site’s visitor facilities would include ‘boardwalks across the wetlands’ and ‘viewpoints and hides’, connecting with the Island’s Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans and better linking the Bay with surrounding communities.
Buildings and features listed by the WAS paper include multi-purpose lecture/workshop/event spaces, marine laboratories, student accommodation for residential courses, lodge-style accommodation for other visitors, an educational native species area and re-wilded river valley wetlands.
Collaborative project
At present, the proposal’s stakeholders include WAS, Artecology, the RSPB, Atelier One, UK Architecture Today, Natural England and the Environment Agency.
WAS says the business case for the ISR is ‘already being put together’ and that following ‘agreement in principle’ from County Hall, it will pursue the commercial investment and ‘grant funding interest that is growing around the scheme proposals’.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
