Construction Begins on New Bison Bridges in UK

Construction has started in the UK on two of four new bison bridges that will enable the animals to cross through forested areas while allowing human visitors to observe the wildlife from the bridges above.

The project, totaling £1 million (about $1.33 million), includes four bridges that people can use to safely observe the UK’s first wild bison herd in thousands of years, according to Kent Wildlife Trust, which, alongside Wildwood Trust, has been a leader of the wild bison restoration project in the UK.

Kent Wildlife Trust reported that bison are labeled as dangerous under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976. This prevents bison from sharing the same spaces as humans. By installing pedestrian bridges, the bison can have a greater range, while the humans can watch and learn more about these creatures.

With the bridges, the bison will expand their roaming area from 50 hectares to around 200 hectares, as The Guardian reported. Currently, the bison are restricted to fenced regions because of the official dangerous wildlife designation.

While the bridges help expand the range for the bison, conservationists are hoping to push UK officials to update rewilding laws to allow for bison preservation and expansion projects that won’t require expensive steel fencing.

“We recognise that miles of fencing and bridges is a barrier to rewilding projects, but we must demonstrate what can be achieved so we can advocate for change. Bison are no more dangerous than domestic cattle and, in other parts of the world, they roam freely in public areas,” said Simon Bateman-Brown, head of land management at Kent Wildlife Trust, as reported by The Guardian. “Our long-term vision is to remove the steel fencing and have the herd contained via electric fencing, but until the government makes the law fit for rewilding, we will continue to make a case for projects like this, so they can be replicated.”

Two of the bridges are expected to be complete before the end of 2024. 

With the wild bison restoration and accompanying bridges to expand their range, the bison can help contribute to the local ecosystems and may even have beneficial climate impacts. According to a recent study by scientists at Yale School of the Environment, 170 bison in a rewilding project in Romania contributed significantly to carbon sequestration. As Kent Wildlife Trust reported, the findings of that study showed the rewilded bison helped store carbon emissions equivalent to removing around 84,000 gas-fueled cars from the roads.

“Whilst the monitoring system for our Blean Bison project is still in its infancy, we are already seeing the positive impact the herd in Kent is having on their environment — they’re opening up spaces in dense woodlands to make room for far more species and are helping to create micro habitats for other wildlife to thrive,” said Paul Whitfeld, director-general of Wildwood Trust. “We expect to see them improving soil and carbon sequestration too.”