Frequently Asked Questions

Wild Peak is an ambitious rewilding initiative based in the Peak District that is working in close partnership with landowners, local communities and project leaders to inspire and implement a landscape-scale, nature-led approach to Nature’s Recovery, using nature-based solutions and rewilding principles, wherever possible.

Building on Lawton’s conservation principles of bigger, better, more and joined up, the project is working towards creating, restoring and connecting wild spaces across the region - working with and between existing initiatives and conservation sites to create a nature recovery network

As well as creating a network of wild spaces, the initiative is developing a network of people and communities to facilitate, support and celebrate nature’s recovery across the region. People and communities are at the heart of the Wild Peak project, and we are already witnessing the power that local people and grassroots initiatives have in establishing rewilding gains in the Peak District. Whether you are a landowner, a business, a local authority, a community group or just an interested individual, you can get involved!

Wild Peak uses rewilding to improve the ecological value of the Peak District, engaging local communities with wildlife through education, protection of ecosystem services and the creation of a nature-based economy.

Wild Peak was started with funding from Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, the Green Recovery Challenge Fund and Rewilding Britain. We then quickly connected with our first sponsor, Porter Pizza who are working towards a sustainable business by investing in our local nature recovery.

Then, each individual project within Wild Peak involves a range of funding including individual investments and returns from nature-based economy. Each project is supported to approach new funds so this will diversify overtime.

Wild Peak is a project that Derbyshire Wildlife Trust have been working on since 2019 but we are proud to announce our public network launch in October 2022.

The Wild Peak catchment area includes all of the Peak District that falls within the Derbyshire boundary as well as an urban connection zone stretching South East, but we hope to extend our boundary as the network grows.

Yes! Many of our rewilders are happy to welcome visitors. Check out our map for eco-tourism opportunities on the Wild Peak landing page

Wild Peak is growing all the time! Our catchment area covers the Derbyshire portion of the Peak District National Park with an urban connection zone, and we include just over 600 hectares of rewilding at the point of launch.

Wild Peak was launched by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, but we are now just one part of the Wild Peak network, joined by landowners, charities, community groups and corporate partners across Derbyshire.

Everyone! The Wild Peak is a collective of people, communities, businesses, schools and landowners choosing to take action for Nature in the Dark and White Peak.

Tell us what you need! Wild Peak is working with Team Wilder to produce a suite of resources about rewilding to help connect students with nature for the future health of wildlife and communities. Our rewilders are often keen to connect with their local school and the Wild Peak will support those arrangements.

We can’t wait to hear from you! Check out our contact details or fill in our form with yours

Everyone! Wild Peak is a network of people working to rewild the Peak District. This includes landowners who are changing the way they manage their land, volunteers who help to with practical conservation, businesses who want to invest in rewilding, and charities who want to collaborate on conservation projects for a wilder landscape.

Reintroducing species takes years of planning, habitat restoration and risk analysis so Wild Peak is still working towards asking our members this question, but we recognise that many species are missing from the landscape that should be here, including keystone species and ecosystem engineers that drive changes in the environment. Reintroducing lost species can reduce the amount of human intervention in managing , allowing the environment to move into a level of self-sustainment. Key species to consider reintroducing to naturally manage habitats are:

• Beaver – nature’s architect! Beavers create amazing, varied habitats that support hundreds of different species from aquatic life to avian populations. They slow the flow of rivers and create mosaics of wetlands.
• Pine Marten – these mischievous mustelids are an excellent natural predator for grey squirrel, potentially helping move us into a position where we can restore habitats for our own native red squirrel and bring them back from the brink.
• Lynx – creates predator pressure, keeping large grazers and herds on the move, preventing overgrazing and moving this natural management across the landscape.
• Wild boar – one of the few species that can tackle bracken, turfing up the soil and roots can help push back bracken dominance to allow more variety to come through. They create small, seasonal wetlands from wallowing in mud baths and disturbing the ground  creates open spaces for new seeds to germinate and maximise species diversity.
• Wild pony – graze tougher grasses to break up tussocky grasslands and woody vegetation, create species rich swords with a mosaic of characteristics including open spaces from wallowing and wood pasture.

As defined by Rewilding Britain, rewilding is “the large-scale restoration of ecosystems to the point where nature is allowed to take care of itself. Rewilding seeks to reinstate natural processes and, where appropriate, missing species – allowing them to shape the landscape and the habitats within.”

Rewilding means different things to different people. To some rewilding involves the largescale management of landscapes that are grazed by large herbivores like Bison and Buffalo, and apex predators like wolf, bear and wildcat manage the numbers of these naturally. For others, rewilding may be making a difference for wildlife by planting their small concrete garden or windowsill with flowers that benefit pollinators. All of these approaches fall within the rewilding spectrum - taking a poorly managed piece of land, regardless of size and type, and making it better for wildlife.

At Wild Peak we understand ‘rewilding’ to be a broad spectrum, from the small-scale actions taken in our back gardens or community spaces, to the large-scale restoration of our uplands - making space for nature at all scales is how we will allow nature to recover.

This big picture approach to conservation allows nature to take the lead and restore the wider natural processes that support life (e.g. grazing, flooding, natural regeneration). Rewilding does not seek to replace existing conservation work, but complement it, through connecting and expanding our existing reserves and safe havens for wildlife.

Rewilding doesn’t mean removing people from nature, in fact it’s the opposite. Rewilding seeks to connect people with nature, it encourages us to appreciate nature and find the right balance between ours and nature’s needs, allowing both to thrive!

To allow nature to recover in the Peak District we need to kickstart the ecosystem and help guide it into recovery by mimicking these lost processes that have been removed over time. There are many different types and levels of nature-based solutions that can be implemented at any given location. The process you can reintroduce depends on a number of factors, from the nature of the site and the habitats present, to the amount of time, money, resources that can be committed. Below is a list of examples of nature-based solutions to problems we face in the Peak District.

•             Reintroduce Succession

•             Natural Woodlands

•             Restoring Rivers and Floodplains

•             Peatland Restoration

•             Natural Grazing and Mimicking Ghost Species

•             Reintroduce Ghost Species

A Nature Recovery Network is a joined-up system of places important for wild plants and animals, on land and at sea. It allows plants, animals, seeds, nutrients and water to move from place to place and enables the natural world to adapt to change. It provides plants and animals with places to live, feed and breed.  It can only do this effectively if, like our road network, it is treated as a joined-up whole. To be successful, we must ensure that nature and connectedness is incorporated into all aspects of land management and developments, from creating green bridges over roads for species dispersal to diversifying agricultural lands to restoring our current habitats into better condition.

To allow nature to recover in the Peak District we need to kickstart the ecosystem and help guide it into recovery by mimicking these lost processes that have been removed over time. There are many different types and levels of nature-based solutions that can be implemented at any given location. The process you can reintroduce depends on a number of factors, from the nature of the site and the habitats present, to the amount of time, money, resources that can be committed. Below is a list of examples of nature-based solutions to problems we face in the Peak District.

•             Reintroduce Succession

•             Natural Woodlands

•             Restoring Rivers and Floodplains

•             Peatland Restoration

•             Natural Grazing and Mimicking Ghost Species

•             Reintroduce Ghost Species

Opportunity maps are a means for us to ensure that the work we do in creating these corridors and habitats is accurate and worthwhile. Creating Nature Recovery Network maps and using GIS analysis can help us to identify where good habitats currently are, where habitats should be and key bottlenecks in the landscape. We can use this to guide us to identify what work we should be doing -

•             What habitats are missing from the landscape?

•             Where does habitat need to be created to form a corridor?

•             What habitats are already a part of a vital habitat network and should be retained?

•             What works are needed for the survival of a specific species?

At Wild Peak we have now completed the process of NRN modeling within the area boundary and have conducted analysis on these results, allowing us to create an action plan to create joined up networks across the Peak District to allow species to move.

The results of this mapping is something that we are looking to share with like minded landowners who are looking to manage their land for nature so we can support them in creating the right habitat in the right place.

Wild Peak is working to identify mechanisms by which businesses can move from “business as usual” to the development of a nature-based economy.  This work will draw on proven examples from across the UK and overseas, such as Osprey photography around Rutland Water, Pine Marten photographic hides in Scotland and ecotourism benefits in the Isle of Mull and the Knepp Estate.

Eco-camping is simply allowing camping or glamping and building sustainable facilities to minimise its impact on your land. Eco-camping is a means of additional income that is suitable for small landowners, particularly those that were once farming and are now looking to reduce the intensity of their traditional farming landscape.

Wild-meadow camping is simply allowing camping or glamping on a meadow that is managed for wildlife. This requires sustainable facilities, pathways, fire-pit and access rules to protect the meadow and minimise its impact on your land. Wild-meadow camping is a means of additional income that is suitable for small landowners, particularly those that were once farming and are now looking to reduce the intensity of their traditional farming landscape.

We want to make sure there is always free access to wildlife in the Wild Peak. Check out our map for reserves with free access. Alternatively, if you would like to contribute to a nature-based economy, look for tickets to an array of wild experiences and sustainable businesses provided by our rewilders!