Essex family left 50 farm acres wild; it inspired 200-acre nature recovery plan

An Essex estate has launched a 200-acre nature-recovery project after seeing how a smaller area of land recovered when it was left untouched for a decade. The project at Braxted Park Estate covers about 70 hectares across the administrative areas of Colchester City Council, Braintree District Council and Maldon District Council. It builds on a land management decision made decades ago. About 30 years ago, the Clark family decided to set aside their entire farm. After ten years in the Countryside Stewardship scheme, farming resumed in 2014. But the family chose to leave about 50 acres unfarmed. Over the next decade, scrub grew back and self-seeded oak trees matured. The area then attracted rare birds, including turtle doves and nightingales.