Wildlife Trusts Raise £30 Million to Buy Rothbury Estate

The Wildlife Trusts raised £30 million to purchase the Rothbury estate in Northumberland, executing one of the most ambitious nature recovery projects in England. The 3,800-hectare estate, sold by Max Percy, the youngest son of the Duke of Northumberland, represents the largest single-ownership land sale in England in more than 30 years.

Funding for the acquisition was sourced from 25,000 members of the public, a £5 million grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, contributions from philanthropists, and £1.94 million from the government. The trust plans to rewild the land to boost species populations and establish the estate as the hub of a 40-mile nature corridor reaching the Scottish-English border.

While the project has significant public backing, it has faced criticism from local politicians and farmers. Guy Renner-Thompson, chair of the Northumberland Conservatives, questioned the government's financial contribution and raised concerns regarding the impact on food production and the profitability of traditional land management. In response, the trust has stated its goal to prove that wildlife conservation can coexist with a productive business model.