Rewilding is transforming landscapes around the globe, reintroducing native plant and animal species to create self-sustaining ecosystems. The Knepp Estate, a 3,500-acre rewilding project in West Sussex, is at the heart of this movement in the UK. Among the various free-roaming herbivores that play a part in rewilding at Knepp, the humble but powerful Tamworth pig is a star. By exploring the behaviours and impacts of these pigs on the land, we can appreciate how they contribute to biodiversity restoration in unique and significant ways.
Often called “the last of the old English pigs,” Tamworth pigs are rugged, hardy, and adapted to outdoor life year-round, making them an ideal candidate for rewilding. Known for their reddish coats and thick bristles, these pigs are relatively resistant to the cold and harsh British weather. They are foragers at heart, with an instinct to root and dig, which creates open, disturbed patches of soil—a critical factor in rewilding ecosystems.
Tamworths are a perfect fit for projects like Knepp because they mimic the role that wild boar once played in British woodlands. Unlike other animals used in rewilding efforts, such as deer or ponies, Tamworths disturb the soil to encourage seed germination, giving dormant seeds the sunlight and space they need to grow.
At Knepp, the Tamworth pigs roam freely, turning over soil and breaking down dense patches of bracken and grasses, which allows more delicate plant species to thrive. This rooting behaviour has a cascade effect on the ecosystem:
When the pigs root and dig, they naturally aerate the soil, mixing organic matter into the top layers. This increases microbial activity, enriching the soil and promoting nutrient cycling that benefits a range of flora and fauna.
The disturbances created by Tamworths allow native seeds, often lying dormant in the soil, to germinate. As different plants emerge, they create habitats for a variety of insects, which in turn attract birds and small mammals. This enhances the area's overall biodiversity.
When the pigs open dense vegetation, they create nesting areas for ground-nesting birds and shelters for invertebrates. Wildflowers often flourish in these disturbed patches, attracting pollinators like butterflies and bees and pollinating other plants.
Knepp’s approach to rewilding has attracted worldwide attention for its “hands-off” philosophy, allowing nature to take its course with minimal human interference. With their rooting and foraging habits, the Tamworth pigs have been instrumental in developing Knepp’s dynamic landscape. By disrupting the soil in a way other herbivores at Knepp cannot, the Tamworths promote a complex mosaic of habitats, fostering high biodiversity levels.
Over the years, Knepp has recorded sightings of many species previously thought lost from the area, including the purple emperor butterfly and nightingales, which have found habitats within the patches opened by the Tamworths. The pigs’ work has also benefited rare species such as turtle doves, which require scrubby, open areas for feeding—a niche that Tamworths help to create by breaking up dense thickets.
Knepp demonstrates how free-roaming herbivores, especially those with unique behaviours like the Tamworth pigs, are powerful agents of ecological change. Rewilding projects that incorporate animals in this way can benefit from the natural processes that the animals bring. By reintroducing species capable of reshaping the environment, we allow natural habitats to re-establish themselves without heavy human intervention, resulting in healthier, more resilient ecosystems.
Future rewilding projects across the UK and beyond may look to the Knepp model as an inspiration, using livestock and native breeds like Tamworth pigs to replicate the ecological benefits that wild boars and other native species once provided.
Knepp’s Tamworths reminds us that sometimes, the best way to restore nature is to step back, let the animals take the lead, and watch as their ancient instincts guide the land back to life.