Wildlife Trusts raise £30m to buy and rewild Rothbury estate in Northumberland
The Wildlife Trusts, a federation of nature conservation charities, say they have raised £30m to buy the Rothbury estate in Northumberland, northern England, and restore its wildlife. It is one of the most ambitious nature recovery projects in England.
One of the most ambitious nature recovery projects in England can now go ahead in Northumberland, in the north of the country. The Wildlife Trusts, a federation of nature conservation charities, announced on Friday that they had raised £30m to buy the Rothbury estate, an area about the size of Athens. The bid was championed by the broadcaster and naturalist David Attenborough, who thanked the public for their help.
The estate was put up for sale two years ago by Max Percy, the youngest son of the Duke of Northumberland. It covers more than 3,800 hectares and is the largest piece of land in single ownership to come up for sale in England in over 30 years. Campaigners described it as a once-in-a-generation opportunity.
Varied habitats
The land includes hills, wild moorland, valley woodlands, the River Coquet and farm fields. Mike Pratt, chief executive of Northumberland Wildlife Trust, said he was "elated" and "humbled" by the public support. Some £17m came from the public, with 25,000 people donating. The National Lottery Heritage Fund gave £5m, charitable foundations and philanthropists made large donations, and the government this week pledged £1.94m.
Plans
The trust hopes to restore and extend habitats to increase numbers of species already present, such as mountain bumblebees and red squirrels. Pratt mentioned the possibility of helping water voles return, encouraging pine martens, and seeing more curlew. In the long term, the estate is meant to be the "beating heart" of a 40-mile nature corridor from Druridge Bay on the coast to the Scottish-English border. The trust also believes nature tourism will benefit the town of Rothbury.
Sophie Bulgin, the project manager, said the enthusiasm of volunteers had taken her aback. Volunteers are, for example, installing and retrieving devices that record the sounds of small mammals and bats.
Opposition
Not everyone backed the campaign, and some farmers called it a "folly". Guy Renner-Thompson, a councillor and chair of Northumberland Conservatives, questioned the government's decision to contribute funds, citing farmers' concerns about food production and profitability. Pratt said the trust was working closely with farmers and wanted to show that a productive business can coexist with plentiful wildlife.
