18 September 2026

 

Sir Charles Burrell, the pioneering conservationist who transformed his Knepp Estate into one of the UK’s leading rewilding projects, has been named as this year’s Alumnus of the Year by the Royal Agricultural University (RAU).

Accepting his award yesterday, at the University’s annual Graduation ceremony, Sir Charles said that his education at the then Royal Agricultural College (RAC) had been “absolutely foundational to my whole way of thinking”, and that this training had “saved” the Knepp Estate.

“It’s ironic really. The education that Cirencester gave me, especially on the Advanced Farm Management course, was what got me out of farming!” he said. 

“Cirencester gave me the diagnostic tools to really scrutinise the financials, to understand what makes a sound business. I learnt how to stand back and look at the big picture. Ultimately, it saved Knepp Estate. 

“Without that training, I could have carried on disappearing into a black hole. It taught me that intensive modern farming wasn’t the right thing to be doing on our heavy clay. I thank that early foundation of learning in my life every day and I still use it to evaluate all the nature-based businesses that are evolving from rewilding.”

Sir Charles, who studied Agriculture and Advanced Farm Management at the RAC, now the RAU, from 1981 to 1984, inherited the 3,500-acre estate in West Sussex from his grandparents and moved into Knepp Castle in 1987.

Having originally managed the estate using conventional farming methods, in 2000 he made the decision to sell the dairy herds and farm machinery and, in 2002, launched his vision for rewilding Knepp.

Today, the estate is an internationally recognised rewilding project shaping the future of nature conservation by demonstrating how changes in land management to restore natural processes can create space for nature and benefit biodiversity. 

Sir Charles said: “When I heard I had been chosen to be the RAU’s Alumnus of the Year for this year, I was rather amazed but also incredibly honoured!

“A few years ago, I was invited to speak about rewilding at the RAU and I was thrilled to see a full house. The last 25 years have convinced me that rewilding is an important land management approach, another tool that can be thrown into the mix.

“I don’t see it as competing with farming. I see it as farming’s greatest ally - the life support system that we all need to understand if we’re to ensure safe and secure food production for the future.”

He added that he found the practical nature of the Advanced Farm Management course, which involved students visiting different farms and enterprises every fortnight to analyse the businesses and develop alternative approaches, incredibly inspiring and fundamental to developing a truly open and analytical way of thinking.

“I hope that rewilding projects will be on the RAU’s list for site visits. Students are certainly welcome to Knepp, and I will be as candid and generous with opening up the inner workings of what we do here as the farmers were when I was at Cirencester,” he said.

The RAU launched the Alumnus of the Year award in 2024 to recognise and celebrate members of the University’s alumni community who have achieved something outstanding professionally, made significant contributions to their community, or shown commitment to RAU through volunteering and advocacy.

Sir Charles received his award at the University’s annual Graduation ceremony, which took place yesterday at the University’s Cirencester campus, where he was recognised alongside the University's graduating students and celebrity gardener Danny Clarke who was conferred as an Honorary Fellow of the RAU.

Announcing Sir Charles as the RAU’s 2026 Alumnus of the Year, RAU Chair of Governors Dame Fiona Reynolds said: “Charlie is an inspiring example of how an RAU education can provide the foundations for a career that challenges established thinking and has a profound impact on the land-based sector.

“He has taken the practical, analytical approach that he developed at the Royal Agricultural College and applied it to one of the UK's most significant experiments in land management and nature recovery. His work at Knepp has encouraged people across agriculture and conservation to think differently about what our landscapes can deliver. 

“We are delighted to recognise Charlie as our Alumnus of the Year and celebrate both his remarkable contribution to the sector and the enduring connection he has with the University.”

Receiving the award, Sir Charles said: “It’s an incredible honour to be recognised in this way. My education at the RAC has been absolutely foundational to my whole way of thinking.

“I love the way the RAC/RAU is evolving. There is a fundamental challenge for all of us involved in farming and land management to understand how nature works and to incorporate this into all our decision making and business enterprises. 

“It’s in the DNA of land managers to think long-term, for future generations. We need to understand, now, how nature underpins everything we do.”