Green Voices – Ep 15 – Lorienne Whittle: Financing rewilding

By Anders Lorenzen

In just four years, the British company Nattergal has emerged as one of the most dynamic players in the rewilding movement. Founded in 2021, the company purchases land to restore ecosystems and bring back nature — while developing a funding model that aims to make rewilding financially sustainable.

Their latest site, Harold’s Park Wildland in Essex, was acquired in 2024. It joins Nattergal’s growing network of projects, alongside sites in Lincolnshire and Norfolk.

Watch the full interview on YouTube

A Greener Life, A Greener World speaks with Nattergal’s Lorienne Whittle.

“A living landscape again”

We visited Harold’s Park Wildland to witness their achievements and met Lorienne Whittle, Nattergal’s Rewilding Landscapes Architect, to discuss the company’s approach and what makes Harold’s Park distinctive.

“What’s really exciting,” Whittle said, “is how quickly nature begins to respond once you remove pressure. Within months, you start seeing wildflowers pushing through, insects returning, and the soundscape changing completely. It’s a living landscape again.”

Nattergal’s model blends private investment, carbon and biodiversity credits, and long-term land stewardship to fund projects at scale.

“We knew we needed to move beyond relying on grants or philanthropy,” Whittle explained. “Rewilding has to be economically viable if it’s going to spread. That’s what we’re demonstrating here — that restoring nature can create real value.”

The Knepp connection

Nattergal’s origins are closely tied to Knepp Estate, the pioneering rewilding project in West Sussex.

“Knepp really proved that rewilding works — ecologically and socially,” Whittle noted. “Charlie Burrell, one of Knepp’s co-founders, was instrumental in setting up Nattergal. We’re building on that legacy, but scaling it up through a new financial model.”

Knepp’s success inspired investors, conservationists, and policymakers alike. Nattergal’s founders wanted to replicate that success on other underperforming farmland — but with a system that could be rolled out across the UK and, eventually, Europe.

“Nature pays back, but it needs time”

At Harold’s Park, Nattergal is already seeing ecological improvements despite the short timeframe.

“We’re seeing the early stages of habitat complexity returning,” Whittle said. “There’s an increase in pollinators, we’ve seen barn owls hunting again, and some native tree species are naturally regenerating. Nature pays back, but it needs time and patience.”

The project also engages with the local community, inviting nearby schools and residents to observe the transformation. “Rewilding works best when people feel part of it,” Whittle added. “It’s not about locking land away; it’s about opening it up to a richer, more vibrant ecosystem.”

A blueprint for funding rewilding

Whittle believes Nattergal’s work offers a blueprint for large-scale rewilding finance — blending ecological outcomes with sustainable investment returns.

“We think we’ve cracked a model that others can follow,” she said. “There’s a growing appetite among investors who want to support nature recovery, but they need credible, transparent projects. That’s what Nattergal provides.”

With several new sites in development, Nattergal’s momentum suggests that rewilding is moving from the margins into the mainstream of land use and finance.

You can watch the full conversation in Green Voices Episode 15 above.

Anders Lorenzen is the founding Editor of A greener life, a greener world.

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