My Work Experience at Knepp
Author: Alex, AFC Ambassador
What is Knepp?
Knepp is a family farm at the forefront of rewilding and conservation, made famous by the inspirational book and film ‘Wilding’. The film told the story of Knepp and its efforts to rewild, including the great steps made towards a more biodiverse environment, such as the reintroduction of white storks. I was incredibly lucky to successfully apply for and be accepted on a week of work experience at the Knepp Estate, where I learned and participated in some of the great projects and efforts taking place.
Described below are three of the things that I am very grateful to have taken part in during the week
1)The Butterfly Survey
On the first day of the work experience, after an introductory talk about the farm and the roles of both animals and staff within the project, we met some of Knepp’s surveyors of various wildlife. We then worked with them to take a survey of the butterfly life on the estate. Throughout this activity, we learned about their vital role in the diversity of plant life, such as their food sources, and the plants both beneficial and detrimental to them.
2)The Stork Walk
The next day, we met one of the members of the White Stork Reintroduction team and walked through one of the wild areas of the estate, being taught about white storks and their behaviours. Having been extinct for 600 years in the UK and having been reintroduced in 2020, there have been 42 chicks so far in 2026. This shows a huge growth in their population. We saw and learned about their nests, so large that they often house other nests for smaller birds in their walls, and how the birds mate for life. We saw firsthand the rings around their legs, humanely attached at 6 weeks, which are used to track the birds as they migrate. People can then report the unique code on the ring, which helps show a bigger picture of where they travel.
3)The Weald To Waves Project
On Thursday, we all travelled to Stroodeland Climping (the only stretch of undeveloped coastline in Sussex) to learn about the Weald to Waves project. This project creates a ‘corridor’, longer than 100 miles, which will provide a safe area of movement for migrating bird species, and eventually hopes to allow free movement and grazing area for roaming animals such as cattle and horses.
It was also interesting to see the collaboration, indirect though it may be, between groups, as I had been at the village, Climping the week before with Action for Conservation, where we had cleared a path of brambles to allow people to freely pass through and enjoy the environment.
