Through grazing, foraging, wallowing and trampling, the hefty bison boosts habitat diversification.

The European bison teetered on the edge of extinction in Europe and was only saved by a zoo in Poland. Conservation breeding from the few surviving animals, and subsequent reintroductions (in Poland, Germany and Romania, for example) have led to its remarkable recovery. Today, coordinated efforts by European conservation organisations mean it has now been possible to bring bison back to Britain.

The European bison is not native to Britain, but its close relative the globally extinct forest bison Bison schoetensacki was here, at least during the Pleistocene. The surviving European bison is a suitable surrogate for this extinct species.