The Wildlife Trusts plan to buy the 9,500-acre Rothbury estate in Northumberland so they can turn it into a haven for wildlife. Writer and scourge of the conservation industry Ian Coghill argues that it already is – and that the trusts’ plans for the estate will kill off the existing wildlife.
The trusts disagree. They sent us this statement:
“In October 2024, The Wildlife Trusts – in partnership with Northumberland Wildlife Trust – purchased part of The Rothbury Estate, which includes the much-loved Simonside Hills. Surveys and monitoring of the upland area that we’ve acquired are being undertaken to work out the best form of management to benefit wildlife, peatlands, water management and sequester carbon.
“As well as baseline surveys on every aspect of species and habitats, archaeology and geology surveys are also being undertaken, forming the basis of a long-term data bank used to inform all aspects of site management. This is added to by the close involvement of those who know, manage and farm the estate already, or who have in the past, as well as evaluation of existing data. We are also working closely with Newcastle University Centre for Landscape to ensure the very highest level of data collection and most up to date technology and techniques are applied across all disciplines into the future. We see this scientific survey and monitoring as a key facet of Rothbury being seen as a national exemplar of farming and nature recovery. We also intend to involve local communities in citizen science data gathering. The evaluation of impact of all we aim to achieve is central to our approach.
“Whilst fundraising for the purchase of the remainder of the estate, we have been speaking to the local community and are keen to work closely with tenants, including farm tenants, to develop a long-term strategy for the estate. This long-term strategy will aim to create a place where people and nature can thrive side by side.”
For more from the Wildlife Trusts, visit WildlifeTrusts.org
To watch all of Fieldsports Britain, episode 842, visit FieldsportsChannel.tv/fieldsportsbritain842