Rewinding 100 years: the Devon neighbours who united to rewild on a grand scale

A forester, a farmer and a child psychologist have formed a pioneering group to bring even more nature back to their valleyDorette Engi, a child psychotherapist from north London, moved to rural Devon in 2020 during lockdown. Motivated by doing something practical about the climate and wildlife crises, she bought a 92-hectare (230-acre) farm and started a process of "creative destruction".Within 15 minutes of my arrival at her house in Tiverton, Engi, 69, has spoken about animals she wants to reintroduce, including beavers, pine marten, storks and - perhaps sometime in the future - lynx. She has already put 15 explosive devices in trees to create cavities for bats, and sought a quote for setting off a cannon in her overgrown plantation of Sitka spruce to create more diversity. Continue reading...