Make Your Land a Thriving Haven for Wildlife and Biodiversity
Restore. Revive. Rewild.
Is your woodland overgrown, species-poor or under-managed? At Wild By Design, we specialise in woodland restoration and biodiversity enhancement for private landowners across Surrey, Sussex and London. Whether you own a few acres or a larger estate, our mission is to reconnect nature with your land — creating vibrant, healthy ecosystems that benefit both wildlife and people.
Why Do We Need to Restore Wild Spaces?
According to the 2023 State of Nature Report, the UK is among the most nature-depleted countries in the world, with 1 in 6 species at risk of extinction. Our once-rich ecosystems — woodlands, meadows, wetlands — are now in decline. But it doesn’t have to stay this way.
Habitat restoration brings real results. It boosts biodiversity, supports climate resilience, and reconnects us with the natural world. Even small patches of land can become vital sanctuaries for wildlife. Through expert management, you can transform your woodland into a living, breathing ecosystem — one that works for nature and for you.
What’s Wrong with Our Woodlands?
Many assume that dense woodland equals healthy woodland — but the opposite is often true. Overgrown canopies block sunlight, smothering understory plants and reducing biodiversity. Woodlands dominated by a single age or species (especially in softwood plantations) are often ecological dead zones, offering little value to native flora and fauna.
In the past, wild grazing animals like Aurochs and Tarpans helped shape our landscapes. Their hooves churned soil, their grazing created clearings, and their movement spread seeds. Today, that natural process has stopped — leading to stagnant, overgrown woodlands.
At Wild By Design, we reintroduce those natural dynamics through expert interventions — restoring balance, biodiversity and beauty to your land.
Our Woodland Restoration Services
🌿 Creating Open Spaces & Sunlight
We mimic natural processes by:
- Selective tree thinning to open up the canopy
- Coppicing to regenerate native trees
- Creating rides, glades and scallops to form wildlife-rich edges and corridors
These interventions create the “edge effect” — the meeting point between habitats — which dramatically boosts species diversity.
🌱 Controlling Invasives & Overgrowth
Non-native and invasive plants like rhododendron or over-dominant holly suppress biodiversity. We carefully manage these species to restore balance, while keeping essential cover for birds, mammals and fungi.
💧 Creating Wildlife Ponds
Ponds are biodiversity magnets. We design and dig wildlife-friendly ponds that attract amphibians, insects, birds and mammals. If you’re in a clay-rich area of Surrey or Sussex, you may not even need a liner! More ponds = more life.
🌳 Encouraging Natural Regeneration
Where conditions allow, we let nature lead the way — encouraging native trees and plants to return naturally. In other cases, we plant diverse native species to jumpstart recovery.
🌲 Protecting and Creating Veteran Habitats
Veteran trees are vital homes for hundreds of species. Where none exist, we “veteranise” younger trees — introducing cavities, cracks and deadwood features. These microhabitats are essential for bats, birds and invertebrates.
🌾 Deadwood Creation and Soil Health
Deadwood isn’t waste — it’s a treasure. We aim for at least 20–30% deadwood, whether standing, fallen, or in log piles. Deadwood improves soil, stores carbon, and supports countless species, from fungi to stag beetles.
Long-Term Woodland Management Plans
When you work with us, you get more than a one-off intervention — you get a tailored long-term plan for your land. We’ll:
- Conduct baseline biodiversity and soil surveys
- Monitor change and track progress
- Adjust our approach year by year, keeping your land dynamic and adaptive
Over time, your woodland will become a complex mosaic of woodland pasture, groves, scrub and glades, all teeming with life.
Conservation Grazing (Where Suitable)
For larger sites, we can reintroduce the real thing. We partner with conservation graziers to bring in hardy livestock like:
- Belted Galloway or English Longhorn cattle
- Exmoor ponies
- Tamworth pigs
These animals help restore natural processes and keep habitats in check, just like their wild ancestors once did.
More Ways We Support Biodiversity
We also offer:
- Hedge planting and laying
- Installation of barn owl, kestrel and bat boxes
- Meadow creation and grassland restoration
We’re here to help you give nature every chance to thrive.
🌳 Ready to Restore Your Woodland in Surrey, Sussex or London?
Whether you’re managing a private woodland in the Surrey Hills, a rural estate in West Sussex, or a green space on the outskirts of London, Wild By Design can help you rewild and restore with expert care.
Let’s turn your land into a haven for nature.
👉 Contact us today to book a consultation with Steve Liszka, our experienced Woodland Ranger. We’d love to walk your land, discuss your goals, and start building a brighter, greener future together.
