Herstmonceux Castle partners with leading Nature restoration business, Nattergal
to transform 240 acres of Estate into a landmark biodiversity haven
A landmark partnership between Nattergal and Bader College, the UK campus of Queen's University in Canada, will see 240 acres of the Herstmonceux Castle Estate restored for Nature.
The project will reconnect habitats on a strategically important site near the Pevensey Levels while creating new opportunities for learning, volunteering and community engagement.
Funded through Biodiversity Net Gain and underpinned by long-term ecological monitoring, Herstmonceux Rewilding will combine Nature recovery and academic research in a single landscape-scale initiative.
Herstmonceux Castle Estate
Photography: Jonathan Perugia for Nattergal
Bader College and Herstmonceux Castle Estate today announce a long-term partnership with Nature restoration leader Nattergal, committing 240 acres of land to rewilding.
A strategically important location for wildlife, this ambitious Nature recovery initiative is set to restore wood pasture and create complex mosaics of grassland and scrub habitats, directly supporting the UK’s legally binding diversity targets and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15.
The project will see ecologically depleted, low-productivity farmland transition into a thriving mosaic of habitats, reviving a historically significant landscape previously used for intensive farming. The Nature restoration plan will buffer and connect the Pevensey Levels (a Site of Special Scientific Interest and globally protected Ramsar site) to existing Nature-rich habitats in the wider landscape. Free-roaming herbivores will also have a role in shaping the developing ecosystems. Buffer zones and fencing plans are being developed with local stakeholders and farmers.
Herstmonceux Rewilding, as it will become known, will be managed by Nattergal and supported through the sale of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) credits. BNG is an environmental policy, in place since 2024 and used in England’s planning system to ensure new developments leave Nature in a measurably better state than they found it. A Conservation Covenant will also be established to ensure the long-term protection of the land for a minimum of 30 years.
Nattergal is a leading UK Nature restoration company that owns and operates landscape-scale rewilding sites in Essex, Norfolk, and Lincolnshire. Nattergal will use the lessons learned from these wildlands to restore Nature at Herstmonceux.
Students conducting research at Herstmonceux Castle Estate
Herstmonceux Castle Estate is home to Bader College, part of Queen’s University Canada. In 1993, Dr Alfred Bader and his wife, Isabel, funded the purchase of the castle directly for the university. The college extends the university’s academic mission beyond Canada and offers opportunities for faculty at Queen’s and abroad to deliver immersive educational experiences, develop international research collaborations, and explore innovative approaches to teaching and scholarship. The estate is also a distinctive visitor attraction and event venue in East Sussex.
The rewilding project, underpinned by data from Nattergal’s Natural Capital Monitoring program, will provide Queen’s University, other institutions, and other scientific bodies with long-term, international, research opportunities.
Herstmonceux Rewilding will have a community engagement focus that will see the establishment of formal and informal partnerships with the goal of including diverse viewpoints and local expertise. The restoration of land to Nature will expand public access to the site through new trails and create volunteer opportunities to advance these conservation changes.
Matthew Evans, Executive Director of the Estate and Provost of Queen’s University said:
“At Queen’s, we are focused on tackling the most complex and urgent challenges facing society, and through both research and teaching, we strive to make meaningful change in the world. We are committed to addressing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and the urgent need to reverse the effects of climate change through leadership and environmental stewardship – Herstmonceux Rewilding is a living example of these commitments. Equally, we know this work and the possibilities it creates for research and collaboration will have significant benefits for our students and faculty, and we are certain the effects of that education will carry forward into future generations.”
Archie Struthers, CEO of Nattergal, said:
"Herstmonceux sets a precedent for UK estates: proving ecologically degraded land can become an engine for Nature recovery while keeping communities at the heart of the process. If this is possible on a site as steeped in history as Herstmonceux, the wider potential of this work is significant. We’re thrilled to partner with the estate to deliver this landmark project and leverage private-sector collaborations to secure funding for large-scale Nature restoration.”