A rare opportunity for people and nature
A rare chance to purchase Hoathly Farm is Kent’s largest opportunity in over two decades to create a near-continuous landscape for nature, where Wilder Grazing helps biodiversity thrive and habitats can be restored.
If we can secure this land over 613 acres could be reconnected and restored, creating one of the county’s most significant wilding projects in years. Together we can create a landscape where Wilder Grazing at Scotney Castle to the east adjoins Furnace and Hoathly Farms, creating a future where a wilding corridor connecting Kent and Sussex is possible.
Once secured, this ancient landscape turned marginal arable land, will be returned to nature, creating a dynamic nature reserve where wood pastures, species-rich meadows, woodlands and hedgerows will replace land that has been intensively farmed for decades.
However, time is running out. Generous donors have committed match funding of up to £500k already. But we urgently need to raise an additional £500k to unlock the full amount. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for nature, and we are working hard to secure funding but need your help.
Creating a wild landscape
A new wild landscape for people and nature
Stretching almost three miles westwards from Lamberhurst, this major land acquisition would create one of the county’s most significant wilding projects in years. Increasing biodiversity and abundance in this landscape will significantly benefit the surrounding community by enhancing ecosystem services that support health, wellbeing, and the economy.
Restored to a thriving natural system the landscape will improve air and water quality, store carbon to combat climate change, and reduce flooding risks. The diverse habitats across the landscape will support food security through pollination and soil health while also creating green spaces that boost mental and physical wellbeing.
Together, we could create a place where biodiversity thrives and where lost species such a Pine Marten could one-day return. First, we must secure the land then, through replanting of former hedgerows and the introduction of a small herd of old English breed cattle and a drove of pigs, this landscape could flourish once more.
Restore and Connect
Hoathly Farm arable land
Allowing nature to return
Turning back the clock
The Farm
Bordering Furnace Farm, an existing Kent Wildlife Trust reserve, Hoathly Farm has been intensively farmed for decades and no longer yields the returns needed to be viable without flooding the land with pollutants. Split into three plots, we are focusing our efforts first and foremost on securing 36 acres at Mount Pleasant, and 168 acres at Clay Hill.
The River Teise runs through the landscape, still following many of its original meanders; by restoring the landscape we can recreate a grass and woodland complex along the valley bottom, improving water quality, reducing run off and providing flood prevention. As green spaces flourish and biodiversity returns, the health benefits for our community will be felt in abundance. Exploring natural spaces has been proven to increase mental and physical wellbeing and help us to disconnect from digital pressures.
For our children, this has never been more important. If we can recreate a thriving, biodiverse landscape here, we can ensure that they have the chance to connect with nature now, and for years to come. Once lost, this opportunity is gone forever, but together we can protect this land for future generations.
Why farming needs nature
This is a rare chance to reconnect landscapes and restore a thriving ecosystem in Kent. By linking Furnace Farm with Hoathly Farm, we can restore a landscape that has been depleted for decades, proving that nature and farming can be partners in a shared future. Our Director of Conservation, Paul Hadaway, takes a deep dive into how restoring this landscape can benefit biodiversity, climate resilience, and local communities.
About this Appeal
This is a rare opportunity to create a near continuous landscape for nature in Kent that we’ve had for many years. The impact of reconnecting Furnace Farm with Hoathly Farm would be incredible, as we transform a landscape that been barren for decades back into the thriving hub for nature it once was.
Kent Wildlife Trust manage over 85 reserves across the county, across a huge range of habitats including ancient woodland, heathlands, chalk meadows, salt marsh and wetland areas. Each reserve has its own management plan, which itself can vary depending on the species needs and pressures of the site. Most reserves respond best to a natural approach, where we look to put in place the natural processes for managing the area that have been lost and, in many cases, this means wilding grazing.
Kent Wildlife Trust have over 800 animals who help us to manage our reserves for wildlife, including a wide range of cattle, sheep, goats, ponies and pigs. Each species and each breed have their own characteristics that make them specialists for certain habitats and Kent Wildlife Trust has decades of experience to enable us to know when and where to use them to make the best of their skills.
When these key components are put back into an ecosystem, the natural processes help to improve them for wildlife. Where additional management is needed, our amazing volunteers will step in and carry out the physical management of the reserves to complement the work carried ut by the livestock.
Hoathly Farm is mostly Grade III arable land in cropping rotation, with some already woodland and grasses. The clay soil has been worked for years and now creates a flood risk from the River Tiese but also needs lots of intervention to yield a good crop. By regenerating this land, and introducing more biodiversity to the area, we will actually improve the health of the wider landscape.
Kent Wildlife Trust understands, and shares, concerns around food security. This is why we work with Farmer Clusters across the county to help facilitate local farmers taking action together. Our Farmer Clusters offer the chance for farmers to trial new methods of improving their land, and importantly to share learnings among their peers. Some farmers in the Clusters choose one focus to apply their efforts, such as the restoration of Turtle Dove habitat in Marden.
Hoathly Farm is classified as Grade III arable land. Following many years of intensive farming, the clay soils in this area can lose nutrients, and become impacted which makes yielding viable crops difficult. The restoration of these parcels of land, which sit within a wider landscape of farmland, will help to restore an abundance of wildlife to the area. By encouraging biodiversity, and creating resilience within the landscape, this project will have benefits which are felt far beyond its borders.
The benefits of re-wilding will help to protect and even improve neighboring farmland through ecosystem functionality, improved water quality and pollination. As green spaces flourish and biodiversity returns, we hope to create a place where nature thrives, and lost species return.
Once we have secured the land, we will gradually allow the land to regenerate using a small herd of old English cattle and potentially a small drove of pigs. These Wilder Grazing animals will help to manage the land in more natural way and can create much more diversity in the land than can be achieved via human led management.
As the land regenerates more species will naturally return. Yellowhammers, Nightingales, Turtle Doves and Dormice are just a few who should call this landscape home but have been pushed to the brink due to eroding woodland and hedgerows.
In the longer term, this landscape may be considered as part of the Southeast Pine Marten Reintroduction programme.
This project will ensure that the land is returned to nature, creating a dynamic nature reserve where wood pastures, species-rich meadows, woodlands and hedgerows will replace land that has been intensively farmed for decades.
Intensively managed farmland is rarely beneficial for wildlife. It will often involve the use of chemicals, farm the full breadth of the fields and generally create an environment that can be very hostile toward wildlife. By replanting hedgerows and allowing them to grow out into the fields, by managing the woodland s to diversify the age and species structure, by transforming the arable fields into scrub and meadows we will create habitats that are desired and required by wildlife, not habitats where wildlife is hanging on by their beak tips.
There are public rights of way throughout the land which will be retained, and improvements will be made to ensure that the community benefits from connecting with nature on their doorstep. We hope to transform the sparce landscape into a nature reserve where people can discover new species, spot yellowhammer and hear nightingales when they visit.
While BNG is a valuable conservation tool, it’s not our main motivation for pursuing this project. Our mission is far greater, this is about protecting and revitalising the landscape for future generations.
The Hoathly Farm Appeal represents an opportunity to create sustainable income streams while restoring vital ecosystems. If BNG units are sold here, it would be to cover the cost of habitat creation and management for 30 years.
If we work with a developer seeking BNG units, before entering into agreements, we will undertake a full due-diligence process to ensure that the particular development aligns with Kent Wildlife Trust's high standards on sustainable development.
If we don’t raise the funds needed to purchase all of the land, we may still be able to save some. However, should another buyer secure the land first, we will be unable to improve its future but will try to connect with the new owner to offer collaborative advice on managing the land in a nature-positive way.
If we are unable to buy either plot, the generously donated funds will still be put towards improving the landscape in the local area or put towards the purchase of another parcel of land that could support nature's recovery. Any action taken with money raised as a result of this appeal will go towards helping to achieve the aims of the Wilder Kent 2030 strategy.
As a charity we rely on the generosity of our supporters, members, corporate partners and trusts and foundations. We run a maximum of four appeals per year, which always ask for funding support for the work we deem most at-risk. Sometimes this is to save a piece of precious habitat that is at risk of being developed, and sometimes this is to ensure a project that needs funding can continue to run.
A small group of generous donors have pledged their support towards this vital land acquisition from their personal resources. The individuals involved have asked to remain anonymous.
Yes, if you are a UK taxpayer you can Gift Aid your donation to make it go even further. At no cost to you, Kent Wildlife Trust will be able to claim an extra 25% on top of your donated amount. Just complete our Gift Aid declaration or get in touch with us at [email protected] if you have any questions.
100% of the funds donated by our supporters go directly to the Restore and Connect Hoathly Farm Appeal.