Isabella Tree tells the remarkable true story of how she and her husband, Charles Burrell, transformed their struggling 3,500-acre farm in West Sussex, England, into one of the most important rewilding projects in Europe.
Faced with declining soil fertility and failing profits from intensive agriculture, they made a bold decision: to stop farming the land and instead let nature take the lead. What followed was a radical experiment in ecological restoration. With the help of free-roaming animals like Exmoor ponies, Longhorn cattle and Tamworth pigs—along with minimal human interference—Knepp Estate began to regenerate in astonishing ways.
Native wildlife returned in dramatic numbers, including rare species like nightingales, turtle doves, and purple emperor butterflies. The book chronicles not only the ecological revival but also the challenges, skepticism, and unexpected joy that come with trusting the wild. More than a memoir, Wilding is a passionate, science-backed argument for a new relationship between humans and the land—one rooted in humility, resilience, and awe for the natural world.
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