Coombe Wood Farm

The story of Britain's wildlife has become a troubling one. According to the landmark 2023 State of Nature report, the abundance of species studied in the UK has plummeted by an average of 19% since 1970. Our vital pollinators, including bees and butterflies, have been hit particularly hard, with their populations declining by 18%. In the face of these challenges, what does a solution look like on the ground?

A powerful and positive answer is taking root at Coombe Wood Farm in Devon. Here, a National Trust property is undergoing an ambitious ecological restoration, providing a living blueprint for how nature can be woven back into the fabric of our working countryside.

Coombe Wood Farm is a National Trust-owned property near Salcombe Regis in Sidmouth, beautifully situated within the East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Instead of taking the land out of production, this project champions a model of "nature-friendly farming," where agriculture and ecology work hand in hand. The entire approach is built on a scientific foundation; extensive soil sampling is used to determine precisely "what gets planted where," ensuring that every decision is data-driven.

Two key techniques are central to this approach:

• Conservation Grazing: A small number of cattle are used as agents of ecological management. These "ecological engineers" break up dense mats of grass with their trampling and munching, creating space for a diverse array of wildflowers to flourish. This, in turn, provides essential habitat and food for insects, reptiles, amphibians, and birds.

Support for Farmland Birds: Select fields are left fallow over the winter months. This simple but effective practice provides a crucial food source for key farmland indicator species. It is particularly tailored to the needs of the cirl bunting, a regionally important and threatened bird that requires a complex mosaic of scrub for nesting and winter stubble for food—a need the farm is now designed to meet.

The project's design is a textbook application of the nationally recognised Lawton Principles of conservation, which state that habitats must be "more, bigger, better and joined." While other initiatives make habitats 'Bigger' and 'Better,' the work here focuses on making the landscape 'Joined'—tackling the habitat fragmentation that drives species decline.

To achieve this, new linear woodlands—equivalent in size to two full-sized football pitches—are being established. These corridors are planted with native blossom and fruit-rich shrub species, creating vital pathways for wildlife to move, feed, and disperse. They are specifically designed to help species like dormice and bats travel safely across the valley.

In addition, new hedgerows are being planted to further connect habitats. These classic features of the British countryside provide essential shelter for nesting birds and create safe places for mammals like dormice and hedgehogs to hibernate. By linking isolated pockets of nature, these corridors give wildlife a fighting chance to build resilient, genetically diverse populations.

Analysis of the vegetative plants found during the Sidmouth Nature project survey shows very much a 'before' situation with the fields of grass being generally very poor for floral diversity but during the last year of the survey in 2025 the reseeding with wild flower mixes was just beginning and this will obviously bring about a major change in the coming years with the associated benefits for animal species following on a couple of years later.

The project's most ambitious habitat creation is a new lowland meadow, equivalent in size to an incredible five football pitches. This vast, flower-rich expanse is designed to support thousands of insects, offering a critical source of nectar that is essential for pollinators.

The restoration also supports species at the top of the food chain. To bolster local populations, seven new large bird boxes have been installed: three for barn owls, two for kestrels, and two for tawny owls, stock doves, or jackdaws. This work creates a complete, functioning ecosystem—providing a feast for the insects at its base and secure homes for birds of prey and other cavity-nesting birds at its peak.

Although based on the pre-rewilding programme the chart below shows that there is plenty of room for optimism because even in its current degenerated state the area has a diverse spread of animal and plant species:

This remarkable transformation is not happening in isolation; it is a collaborative effort powered by people. Local volunteers and community groups have been central to the project's success, dedicating their time to planting trees and hedges, conducting essential wildlife surveys, and improving footpaths to make this recovering landscape more accessible for everyone to enjoy.

The philosophy behind the project is perfectly captured in its approach to grazing:

Using cows to graze the fields at Coombe Wood farm is driven by our aim to improve the grassland habitat, providing a space for nature, a space for wildflowers and fine grasses that support pollinators, invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians and birds - part of the Trust’s aim to manage its land for the benefit of nature and restore the health of the countryside to bring back the wildlife.

This local action is empowered by national policy. The project is supported by funding from the Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) scheme, provided by Defra. This demonstrates how targeted investment can help landowners become agents of nature recovery, positioning Combe Wood Farm as a practical case study for the evolving UK agricultural policy framework.

Through a powerful combination of science-led, nature-friendly farming, the strategic creation of habitat corridors, and dedicated community action, Coombe Wood Farm is showcasing a practical and hopeful path forward. It proves that productive land can also be rich in wildlife, supporting both people and nature.

Coombe Wood Farm is more than just a restoration project; it's a living blueprint for how we can weave nature back into our working landscapes. What could our countryside look like if this model for recovery was embraced in every valley?