Collective Action. Powerful Impact
In the UK, 8.7 million people now rely on antidepressants and some face therapy waiting‑lists of 18 months or more. Rewilders at the Sharpham estate in Devon looked at those numbers and asked a simple question: what if the land itself could be part of the cure?
Five years into its restoration, Sharpham has swapped dairy cattle for long grasses, wildflower meadows and barn‑owl hunting grounds. The estate now hosts retreats where NHS staff and people dealing with trauma practise mindfulness directly inside a thriving ecosystem.
Government‑funded “green social prescribing” pilots have now tracked more than 8,000 participants in nature walks, community gardening, wild swimming and conservation tasks. Happiness scores leapt from 5.3 to 7.5/10, while anxiety fell from 4.8 to 3.4 - all for about half the cost of a block of CBT. Researchers describe it as “better than medication” for many participants.
While Sharpham shows what’s possible on 550 acres, LettsSafari is pioneering “smaller‑scale rewilding” and building the world’s first network of rewilding safari parks in south‑west England. As a paid subscriber you fund tree‑planting and habitat creation, then “safari” via video, informative articles and wildlife photography - lowering the barrier for city‑dwellers who can’t reach vast estates every weekend. You'll also receive nature tips to rewild your own patch – no matter how small.
Sensory reset: Untamed spaces bombard the brain with fractal patterns, varied soundscapes and phytoncides from plants, all shown to lower cortisol and calm the amygdala.
Purpose and agency: Helping to restore a patch of land or log wildlife sightings gives immediate, visible results - a proven boost to self‑esteem and meaning.
Social connection: Group tasks like sapling planting or species surveys create low‑pressure communities that combat isolation.
Hope in action: Seeing biodiversity bounce back counters eco‑anxiety with tangible progress.
Visit or volunteer: Book a half‑day at a local project; even a single guided walk can reset your stress baseline.
Re‑green your commute: Swap one gym session a week for a stroll or cycle through the wildest route you can find.
Create a micro‑rewilding patch: Leave a corner of your garden or balcony pot to grow “scruffy”, add a small log pile and log the invertebrates that appear. We'll show you how in our Rewilding Guides!
Join the digital safari: LettsSafari’s online community shares content as well as useful hints and tips - collective motivation without leaving home.
Rewilding is often framed as a gift to wildlife, but the emerging evidence is clear: what heals ecosystems also heals people. Nature is ready to work alongside counsellors and doctors - and often for far less cost. The next step is simply to step outside, get our hands (a little) dirty and let the wild work its quiet magic.
Feeling inspired? Grab your boots, plant a tree, or fire up a LettsSafari subscription. Your mind, and the planet, will thank you.
Scaling Rewilding for Climate Impact: How LettsSafari Aligns with New Models Like High Fen
The rewilding of High Fen, a former daffodil farm in Norfolk, signals a major shift in how we think about nature recovery. Driven by a private company, Nattergal, and funded through the sale of biodiversity net gain (BNG) units, this project shows how degraded land can be transformed into vital wetland habitat - locking away carbon, supporting wildlife, and helping tackle the climate crisis.
At LettsSafari, we see High Fen as a powerful validation of the approach we champion: smaller-scale rewilding projects that make a measurable difference to biodiversity and carbon capture. While Nattergal is working at a 721-acre scale, LettsSafari focuses on connecting individuals, communities, and businesses to rewilding on a more accessible level - from gardens and parks to larger landscape projects. Both approaches are essential if we are to restore nature at the scale needed.
The lesson from High Fen is clear: degraded land can be restored and it doesn’t have to be pristine to start with. In fact, as Nattergal’s Matt Hay points out, the biggest gains can come from reviving landscapes that have been poorly used or drained. At LettsSafari, we work with similar sites, bringing life back to soils, ponds, hedgerows, and meadows that have been lost to monoculture or neglect.
Moreover, the High Fen project highlights another key trend that LettsSafari embraces: making nature restoration investable. By offering nature-based subscriptions and the ability to sponsor rewilding projects, LettsSafari invites individuals to be part of the solution. Both models recognise that public funding alone won’t achieve the scale of change required.
Finally, the success of High Fen underlines how rewilding is becoming mainstream. As the NFU acknowledges, even farmers are increasingly involved in nature-positive practices - though attitudes remain mixed. At LettsSafari, we celebrate this growing momentum. Our model makes it easier for people, whether they own land or not, to support, follow, and learn from rewilding efforts across the UK and beyond.
High Fen’s cranes, turtle doves, and lapwings are early signs of a recovering ecosystem. At LettsSafari, we aim to create thousands more mini-High Fens - a patchwork of restored habitats that together can help tackle the biodiversity and climate crises.
Because when nature wins, we all win.
With every LettsSafari subscription, you help restore vital microhabitats. You’ll also receive nature tips to rewild your own patch – no matter how small.
👉 Join the movement at LettsSafari.com
This year’s Earth Day calls on all of us to “Unite for renewable energy” – urging the global community to triple clean electricity by 2030. It’s a bold but essential goal. At LettsSafari, we believe that rewilding and renewable energy go hand in hand in creating a planet that thrives – for nature and for people.
Earth Day isn’t just a moment to reflect – it’s a rallying cry. And for us, every day is Earth Day. LettsSafari was born out of a desire to restore nature, fight climate change, and reconnect people with the wild – starting in our own backyards, parks, and local green spaces.
We create and support smaller-scale rewilding projects that regenerate and bring biodiversity back to life. But beyond the birdsong, butterflies, and blooming wildflowers, there’s something more powerful at work: nature's own clean energy system.
Healthy ecosystems are natural powerhouses. Wild grasslands and forests capture carbon, clean the air, and regulate temperatures. Wetlands act like natural batteries, storing carbon, purifying water, and buffering extreme weather. Every wild space we restore with your support is a step toward a cooler, more stable planet – the very outcome we seek with clean energy.
In fact, nature restoration and renewable energy are two sides of the same coin. If we’re serious about a sustainable future, we need both – clean electricity powering our lives, and wild landscapes powering the planet’s recovery.
At LettsSafari, we champion solutions that are practical, accessible, and scalable. Just as solar panels can be installed on rooftops, rewilding can start in your garden, on your street, or in your local park. By restoring these green patches, we create micro-habitats and carbon sinks that complement global climate efforts.
This World Earth Day, we invite you to take action:
Join the LettsSafari movement – support our rewilding work and get inspired to rewild at home.
Switch to renewable energy – power your home and lifestyle with clean sources.
Speak up – encourage others to connect the dots between energy, nature, and climate.
We may not all have solar panels or wind turbines, but we can all grow wildflowers, plant a tree, or support rewilding. And when we do, we become part of a global force for change – one that is restoring balance and building resilience for generations to come.
On this Earth Day, let’s unite – for renewable energy, for nature, and for a better future. Subscribe to LettsSafari TODAY! 🌍💚
#EarthDay2025 #LettsSafari #Rewilding #RenewableEnergy #ClimateAction
It's Easter, so here's one that's a little more light-hearted! The giant green egg-planet (below) isn't just LettsSafari's artistic whimsy - it's a perfect symbol for Easter's surprising connections to our planet's biodiversity! And no, we're not just yolking around. Ouch... While most people associate Easter with chocolate bunnies and pastel decorations, environmentally-minded celebrants are hatching a revolution that would make Mother Earth proud. You could call it "Operation Resurrection" for our ecosystems.
Did you know that the European hare - often confused with the "Easter bunny" - is actually a keystone species in rewilding projects across Europe? These "Easter hares" aren't delivering candy; they're delivering ecosystem services through their natural grazing patterns that maintain grassland habitats. Talk about multitasking! They're basically the unpaid landscapers of the natural world. No wonder they need a holiday.
"The irony isn't lost on us," says conservation biologist Dr. Emma Thorne. "The very animal we've turned into a chocolate novelty is critical for restoring biodiversity in certain European landscapes. It's like discovering Santa Claus is actually essential for arctic ice formation."
Easter's spring timing coincidentally aligns with critical breeding periods for countless species. This has inspired a movement of "quiet zone" Easter celebrations, where communities and church groups time their festivities to minimise disruption to wildlife. Because nothing says "Happy Easter" like respecting a woodcock's mating dance! If you've ever seen a woodcock's dance moves, you'd understand they need all the privacy they can get - those birds have rhythm that would make the Easter Bunny hop with envy.
The traditional Easter egg hunt is getting an eco-makeover through "seed eggs" - biodegradable egg-shaped containers filled with native wildflower seeds. Plant these little miracles and watch as they transform into micro-habitats for pollinators. Finally, an Easter egg that gives you something better than a sugar crash and chocolate-stained fingers!
"We've distributed over 50,000 seed eggs across urban areas," reports community organiser Wei Chen. "Children love watching their Easter eggs grow into wildflower patches that attract bees and butterflies. It's Easter magic that lasts well beyond Sunday brunch! And unlike chocolate eggs, these don't mysteriously disappear when parents get late-night munchies."
In the UK, conservation organisations have brilliantly repurposed Easter as an educational platform about ground-nesting birds whose populations have plummeted due to habitat loss. "Wild egg hunts" teach participants to identify and protect bird nests while connecting ancient fertility symbols to modern conservation needs. It's the only Easter egg hunt where finding nothing is actually a win for conservation.
So this Easter, as you admire that chocolate globe or colourful egg, remember you're holding more than a treat - you're holding a symbol of Earth's remarkable biodiversity and our opportunity to help it thrive. Now that's something worth celebrating.
And if anyone asks why you're planting your Easter eggs instead of eating them, just tell them you're expecting a different kind of miracle this year - the kind that doesn't require explaining to your dentist!
Become a member of LettsSafari this Easter and build rewilding safari parks and gardens with us. Some might even house Easter bunnies! Subscribe at LettsSafari.com.
This year’s RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch reveals a stark warning for UK wildlife lovers:
🕊️ Starling numbers are down 80% since the 1970s – hitting their lowest level ever in the 2025 count.
🐦 Greenfinches have dropped by 86% in just 30 years.
🐤 House sparrows still top the list but have declined by 60% over the past few decades.
The problem? Habitat loss, sterile gardens, pollution, and climate change are squeezing out our most beloved birds.
That’s where LettsSafari comes in.
We’re restoring wild habitats where they’re needed most – in gardens, parks, and small patches of land across the UK. Our rewilding approach brings back native plants, insects, and healthy soil – the foundations of a thriving bird population. By restoring native plants and supporting insect life, we’re giving birds the food, shelter, and nesting space they desperately need.
It works. Where rewilding happens, birds return.
With every LettsSafari subscription, you help restore vital microhabitats for numerous species of birds. You’ll also receive nature tips to rewild your own patch – no matter how small. Together, we can bring Britain’s birds back.
👉 Join the movement at LettsSafari.com
From garden buddleias to summer meadows, butterflies have always been a beloved and iconic part of the British landscape. But now, these delicate pollinators are sending us a stark message: their numbers are falling, fast - and it’s time to act.
At LettsSafari we’re actively exploring how creativity, conservation, and community can come together to tackle some of the planet’s biggest challenges - starting with something as small, and as beautiful, as the butterfly.
According to a recent report by Butterfly Conservation, 2024 marked the second-worst year for common butterfly species in the UK since records began nearly 50 years ago. Despite a warm and sunny early summer, butterfly counts plunged. Proof that short-term weather doesn’t reverse long-term ecological damage.
Some of the most worrying statistics include:
Over half of the UK’s 59 native species are now in long-term decline.
Nine species, including the small tortoiseshell, small copper, and gatekeeper, saw their worst recorded numbers ever.
Even species once considered stable are now edging toward local extinction in some areas.
Dr. Richard Fox from Butterfly Conservation didn’t mince words: “It’s devastating to see widespread species continuing to decline.” He points the finger at a combination of factors: habitat destruction, pesticide use, climate change, and pollution. All consequences of how we manage land and shape our environment.
Butterflies are often described as a barometer of biodiversity. If they’re struggling, it’s a sign that wider ecosystems are breaking down too.
So what can we do? One of the most powerful tools we have is rewilding - allowing natural habitats to regenerate and flourish, often with minimal human interference. Rewilding doesn’t mean “abandoning” the land; it means stepping back and letting nature do what it does best.
Rewilded spaces offer a buffet of nectar sources, breeding sites, and shelter for butterflies. By planting native wildflowers and restoring natural plant succession, we create the complex, layered habitats that pollinators depend on.
And the best part? Rewilding can happen on almost any scale - from vast country estates to a window box in a city flat.
LettsSafari is pioneering smaller-scale rewilding projects designed to restore biodiversity and help species like butterflies thrive again. Our mission is simple: to turn underused or over-manicured spaces (gardens, parks, verges) into wild, living ecosystems.
Here’s how we’re making an impact:
Habitat creation: Our projects in southwest England focus on planting for diversity - mixing wildflowers, shrubs, grasses, and trees that bloom at different times to support butterfly lifecycles year-round.
Supporting LettsSafari is more than just a donation. It’s a chance to be part of a movement that’s regenerating land, supporting art and storytelling, and helping bring butterflies (and so much more) back from the brink.
Butterflies are beautiful, fragile and essential. Their survival depends on the choices we make today. Join LettsSafari and be part of the rewilding revolution.
👉 Discover how you can get involved.
A recent article in The Guardian shared the interconnection between human activity and unprecedented biodiversity decline, definitively established in a groundbreaking study published in Nature. This research, led by scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, provides the most comprehensive evidence yet of humanity's direct role in ecosystem collapse.
For the first time, researchers have traced species extinction and ecosystem degradation directly to human actions by analysing data from more than 45,000 sites across 127 countries. The evidence is clear: where human activity intensifies, biodiversity rapidly diminishes.
What makes this study revolutionary is its scale and methodology. Unlike previous research that focused on limited regions or theoretical models, this global analysis examined real-world measurements across six major ecosystems:
In each ecosystem, scientists discovered the same pattern: as human intervention increases through agriculture, urbanisation, resource extraction, and pollution, biodiversity metrics plummet in direct correlation.
While climate change often dominates environmental headlines, this research reveals a more nuanced reality. Human-driven habitat destruction emerges as the primary culprit behind biodiversity loss, followed by pollution and resource overexploitation.
Dr. Emma Sinclair, lead researcher, explains: "We've been focusing heavily on carbon emissions, but this data shows we must address multiple human impacts simultaneously. Biodiversity doesn't distinguish between threats – it responds to their cumulative effect."
The findings highlight alarming statistics:
Traditional conservation approaches focus on protecting what remains. While valuable, this study suggests a more profound strategy is needed: regenerative ecosystem restoration. This approach doesn't just prevent further losses but actively rebuilds ecological integrity.
What does regenerative restoration look like in practice?
Well, LettsSafari is a great example. We have transformed parks and gardens into biodiversity hotspots by reintroducing keystone species and allowing natural processes to rebuild ecological complexity. Within fifteen years, this regenerative, smaller-scale rewilding approach created habitat for numerous threatened species while maintaining economic viability.
While large-scale initiatives are crucial, individual actions collectively drive significant change. How can you contribute to biodiversity regeneration?
The study's most profound implication challenges our fundamental relationship with nature. Western thinking has long separated humans from natural systems, viewing environmental protection as restricting human activity.
This research suggests a different paradigm: human activities must be redesigned to enhance rather than diminish biodiversity. This means creating agricultural systems that build soil health and habitat, developing urban areas that incorporate ecological corridors, and managing resources based on ecosystem carrying capacity. All areas LettsSafari can help with.
"We need to move beyond sustainability to regeneration," notes environmental economist Dr. James Morton. "Sustainability aims to reduce harm, but regeneration asks how human presence can actively improve ecological health."
This perspective aligns with indigenous wisdom that has always understood humans as integral participants in natural systems with responsibilities toward ecological wellbeing.
The window for effective intervention is narrowing. The study identifies multiple ecosystems approaching irreversible tipping points, however, the research also offers hope. Ecosystems show remarkable resilience when human pressures reduce and regenerative approaches are implemented. Recovery rates accelerate when multiple restoration strategies work in concert.
Have you considered how your daily choices contribute to either ecosystem degradation or regeneration?
At LettsSafari, we're pioneering approaches that transform degraded landscapes into thriving ecosystems while creating sustainable livelihoods. Our network of safari parks demonstrates how regenerative land management can rapidly rebuild biodiversity while providing economic benefits. Plus these approaches can be applied to personal and public spaces at home and work.
The evidence is clear: humanity stands at a crossroads. We can continue business as usual and witness accelerating ecological collapse, or embrace regenerative approaches that rebuild the living systems upon which all life depends.
The choice belongs to each of us. What world will you help create?
Discover how individual actions can contribute to large-scale environmental healing. LettsSafari membership includes latest rewilding thinking, updates on our parks and gardens, and actionable rewilding guides for the public. All for the price of a coffee per month! Sign up TODAY!
When we think about rewilding, we often envision vast, sprawling landscapes and large-scale ecological projects. Yet, equally transformative is rewilding that happens on smaller scales - right in our own backyards, gardens, and community spaces. And with World Water Day this month, we wanted to discuss one indispensable resource that lies at the heart of these efforts: water.
Water is life, shaping habitats, nurturing wildlife, and sustaining entire ecosystems. When carefully integrated into smaller-scale rewilding projects, water becomes a powerful tool for biodiversity recovery and climate resilience.
Why Water Matters in Rewilding:
How You Can Help:
At LettsSafari, we celebrate every action taken to revive nature, no matter the scale. By understanding and harnessing the profound importance of water, we amplify our collective impact, helping nature to flourish in every corner. Every drop counts. Let’s make them matter. Join our community at LettsSafari today!
We're delighted to mark World Rewilding Day 2025 and congratulate all the environmentalists, conservationists and rewilders around the world. We're so proud to be part of the global rewilding community.
For the past 20 years, LettsSafari has been pioneering a new approach to nature restoration. We’ve created and managed smaller-scale rewilding safari parks , where wildlife, biodiversity, and ecosystems are regenerated naturally. Our innovative model makes rewilding more accessible, engaging, and sustainable, helping to combat climate change and biodiversity loss.
Of course, the traditional view of rewilding often conjures images of vast wilderness reserves and extensive land restoration projects. However, LettsSafari demonstrates that smaller-scale rewilding initiatives may hold the key to addressing biodiversity loss and climate change more effectively.
LettsSafari's innovative model focuses on transforming smaller parcels of land into thriving ecosystems such as those at Dawlish Park and Sunrise Park in Devon. This approach challenges the conventional wisdom that rewilding requires extensive land holdings to be effective. By working with areas ranging from several hundred acres down to a household back garden, LettsSafari has proven that significant ecological improvements can be achieved on a more modest scale.
Smaller-scale rewilding offers several distinct advantages over larger projects:
The LettsSafari model demonstrates that rewilding need not be limited to large-scale wilderness areas. By making rewilding more accessible and achievable, this approach has the potential to transform conservation efforts globally. As more organisations and communities adopt these principles, we could see a mosaic of rewilded spaces emerging across urban and rural landscapes, creating a more biodiverse and climate-resilient future.
Want to find out more? In honour of World Rewilding Day, we're pleased to announce this Summer we’re throwing open the doors to host an exclusive Open Day for our paid members.
During this special event, you'll enjoy a guided tour of our rewilding parks, and experience the transformation of landscapes first-hand.
Hosted by founder Philip Letts and the LettsSafari team, we'll be celebrating the amazing rewilded gardens and the extraordinary rare, ancient trees in Exeter’s Capability Brown gardens surrounded by two other LettsSafari parks. Wander the wilded gardens and experience the collection of rare, young and ancient trees, meet some of the 140+ rare species and learn our methods and approaches to rewilding.
Relax in nature with refreshing drinks and light refreshments , while connecting with other guests who share an interest in sustainability and rewilding.
🌱 For every 10 new subscribers we plant a tree a year.
🦔 For every 100, we release an endangered animal.
🌳 And for every 10,000 we create a new rewilding safari park a year!
Make A Difference: Together We Can Rewild To Tackle Climate Change.
When we launched LettsSafari.com and LettsSafari+ three and a half years ago we set a goal that our research, learnings and weekly updates about LettsSafari and smaller-scale rewilding would end up adding up to a book. Not in the traditional way, like most things LettsSafari, but a digital book that would be shared with our members, in weekly instalments. A book, that if it was done right, could become the essential guide to smaller-scale rewilding .
Well, we've finally finished it. Starting next week, we'll publish weekly instalments of the guide directly in LettsSafari+ and at your inbox - from the beginning, section after section, week after week. Packed with amazing photography and immersive videos straight from our parks. As a result, LettsSafari members will sometimes enjoy more than one weekly update! If you're not already a member of LettsSafari, subscribe today for the price of a cup of coffee a month.
Overview
Rewilding isn't just for vast landscapes and conservation projects - it can be done in your own backyard, community spaces, or even on a balcony. " Smaller-Scale Rewilding: A Practical Guide to Restoring Nature in Your Own Space" is an inspiring and accessible resource that empowers individuals to contribute to ecological restoration in meaningful ways. This guide demystifies rewilding and provides clear, actionable steps for anyone looking to create pockets of thriving biodiversity, regardless of space constraints.
Key Sections and Takeaways
1. The Philosophy of Smaller-Scale Rewilding
This section introduces the concept of smaller-scale rewilding, explaining why it is essential in combating biodiversity loss and climate change. It highlights the benefits of letting nature take its course and outlines the principles of working with, rather than against, ecological processes.
2. Understanding Your Space
Before beginning a small rewilding project, it’s important to assess the characteristics of your space. This section walks readers through soil health, native species identification, and microhabitats, helping them recognise opportunities for positive intervention.
3. Practical Rewilding Strategies
Here, the guide offers tangible steps, such as reducing lawn mowing, planting native flora, creating wildlife corridors, and reintroducing beneficial species. Each strategy is tailored to different scales, from urban balconies to larger rural plots. Each macro habitat essential to rewilding is considered and designed for gardens, small parks and other small green spaces.
4. The Role of Water in Rewilding
Water is essential for biodiversity. This section covers techniques for managing rainwater, creating small ponds, and fostering wetland environments, even in limited spaces.
5. Encouraging Wildlife and Natural Processes
From providing nesting sites to reducing artificial lighting, this section teaches ways to support birds, pollinators, and other wildlife, ensuring they thrive naturally.
6. Community and Urban Rewilding
Rewilding extends beyond private land. The book explores how collective efforts - like guerrilla gardening, green corridors, and public space restoration can create larger, interconnected ecosystems in urban areas.
7. Long-Term Success and Sustainability
Rewilding is an ongoing process. The guide discusses monitoring progress, adapting to changes, and educating others to foster a culture of coexistence with nature.
Why You Should Read It
This definitive guide, packed with examples from LettsSafari parks and gardens, is perfect for nature lovers, gardeners, and environmental enthusiasts eager to make a tangible difference. It blends science with real-world applications, making rewilding accessible to everyone. By following its principles, readers will not only create beautiful, biodiverse spaces but also contribute to a larger movement toward ecological restoration - and wild living.
Whether you have a mini park, a sprawling garden, a small yard, or just a few planters, Smaller-Scale Rewilding proves that every effort counts. Dive in and discover how you can be a part of nature’s revival - right where you are. To get your first instalment of this definitive guide, become a member of LettsSafari today.
"Smaller-Scale Rewilding: A Practical Guide to Restoring Nature in Your Own Space" will be available to LettsSafari members in weekly instalments starting from next week. To become a member go to LettsSafari.com.