By mimicking the behaviour of their European ancestors (wild horses, aurochs and boar) these charismatic animals have created an astonishing mosaic of habitats and a fertile ground for the return of a huge number of species of birds, animals and plants.  With the recent addition of beavers and white storks, a visit to Knepp gives some idea of how many parts of lowland England might have looked 1,000 years ago. Perhaps more importantly, the rewilding experiment at Knepp is a living research project which gives us many clues about how we can start to rebuild biodiversity in our nature-stripped country.

The film was followed by a question-and-answer session with our excellent panel. Molly Biddell, Head of Natural Capital at Knepp, was joined by Harvey Jones, who is rewilding two areas of land in Hampshire, Tom Morris, who is renaturing ex-agricutlural land just south of Petersfield, and Steve Bolton, who gives advice on behalf of the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust to community groups across east and north of the county.

Steve Bolton, Harvey Jones, Molly Biddell & Tom Morris with PeCAN Trustee Andrew Lee

Questions to our panel ranged widely, from how Knepp actually works to what each of us can do to start restoring nature, whether in a window box, garden or local community space. In large enough spaces, we were encouraged to 'think like a beaver', or another large native mammal, causing beneficial disruption in the natural landscape. The rewilding process isn't simply a case of leaving well alone, but also creating disturbance - which in turn promotes diverse abundance. Disturbance, variety, mosaic, diversity, and connectivity, were key concepts in our conversation.

Naturally, questions were raised around food production. The response to this was that our food security is under threat from climate change, and to have any hope of continuing to produce food we must reinvest in our soils, and in nature.

Not everyone has the opportunity to take large areas out of agricultural use to restore nature. However, if we can link together small local projects, habitats restored through regenerative farming, existing nature reserves and some large scale rewilding sites, this could make a significant collective difference. As well as allowing nature more space and allowing natural processes to breathe, these green networks will capture carbon, restore soils, reduce flooding and improve air quality. A brilliant example of this is the Weald to Waves project, working to establish a 100-mile nature corridor across Sussex, connecting fragmented landscapes to boost biodiversity, capture carbon, enhance food production, and enrich the rural economy.

Equally encouragingly, Rewilding Britain now lists over 250 projects on its website: from Cairngorms Connect in the Scottish Highlands through Wild Ennerdale in Cumbria, and Wild Ken Hill on the Norfolk coast to Wilder Nunwell Farm on the Isle of Wight.

Garden owners can play a vital role, particularly where they link up to create corridors for nature, but we also need the support of governments and the mainstream economy if we are to have any hope of turning the tide on biodiversity loss.