Wildlife Trusts Secure 9,500-Acre Rothbury Estate
Sir David Attenborough, government, and public donations fund ambitious Northumberland moorland restoration project.
Carla Rooney
The Wildlife Trusts have completed the purchase of the 9,500-acre Rothbury Estate in Northumberland.
The ambitious project drew funding from a diverse coalition, including Sir David Attenborough, the Government, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and individual donors.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) supplied £1.9 million; the National Lottery Heritage Fund contributed £5 million.
More than 25,000 people across 50 countries donated a total of £17 million towards the buy. Nature Minister Jenny Riddell-Carpenter confirmed the government "is stepping in to help" with the acquisition, pledging £1.94 million.
Lord Max Percy, the Duke of Northumberland's youngest son, previously owned the estate; his family held the land for about 700 years. A low-interest loan bridged a short-term funding gap to complete the buy.
The scheme plans to introduce nature-friendly farming, restore bogs, and promote wildlife across the estate. The wildlife trusts will create a 40-mile 'wild' corridor stretching from the North East coast to Kielder and the Scottish border.
The estate contains critical wildlife habitats, including Sites of Special Scientific Interest. It hosts species such as curlew, mountain bumblebee, lapwing, red squirrels, salmon, and eels. The wildlife trusts believe "this rich tapestry of wildlife could be richer still" if more species return over the next 10 years.
By working with local communities to develop new approaches to land management, this transformational project has the potential to deliver nature recovery at a grand scale, helping to reconnect people to the unique natural and cultural heritage of this remarkable and nationally significant landscape.
However, the buy has not met universal approval. Some local farmers claim the buy would be "a folly."
Chris Armstrong asserts the Rothbury Estate does not need saving, claiming the community split over the issue, with most of the farming community viewing the initiative as a folly.