Sir David Attenborough backs bid to buy Rothbury Estate

Sir David Attenborough has defended a bid by conservationists to raise £30 million to buy the entirety of a vast tract of land in the Highlands.

The Wildlife Trusts and Northumberland Wildlife Trust are trying to complete the purchase of the Rothbury estate, a 15-square-mile (38.8-square-kilometre) parcel of former grouse moor, woodland and farmland, with plans to boost wildlife, restore moors and promote environmentally friendly agriculture.

With one year left to raise the £30m needed to secure the entire estate, or risk it being dismantled and sold, Sir David urged people to support the bid.

In a video, the naturalist and broadcaster said time was running out to save Rothbury Estate.

It is the largest tract of land to come up for sale in England in decades and lies at the heart of what naturalists said could be a 40-mile (64-kilometre) “wild” corridor, stretching from the coast to Kielder and the Scottish Borders, and including the Simonside Hills.

The Rothbury Estate was owned by the Duke of Northumberland’s youngest son, Lord Max Percy, and has been in the family for around 700 years.

The partnership between Northumberland Wildlife Trust and Wildlife Trusts was granted a two-year term in October 2024 to raise the £30 million needed to purchase all the properties.

Sir David said: “People know and love the Simonside Hills that rise up here – they walk the hills, listen to the calls of the curlews, watch the red squirrels and admire the views as they scramble between the rocks.

“They walk along its remote trails and marvel at the stunning rock carvings left by our distant ancestors, who once lived here.”

He said the wildlife trusts would work with farmers and local communities who live and work in Rothbury to care for the area, breathing new life into its habitats and creating a place where people and nature can thrive side by side.

“Please help us turn this vision into reality,” he added.

Around £8 million has already been raised, with donations ranging from £5 million to £5 million, but the race is on to secure the remaining two-thirds. An online fundraising appeal has been launched.

Northumberland Wildlife Trust chief executive Mike Pratt said the purchase was a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to do something good for nature on a large scale by restoring and protecting habitats and increasing access to the countryside.

The area is home to rare wildlife, including curlews, mountain bumblebees, red squirrels, cuckoos and merlin, as well as endangered Atlantic salmon and eels, but conservationists say nature could be richer.

Their plans include bringing in large herbivores including ponies, powerful cattle and eventually even bison to graze the land naturally, and there are hopes that pine martens, beavers and golden eagles could recolonize the landscape.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Craig Bennett, chief executive of the Wildlife Trusts, said Rothbury was the largest piece of land to come to the market in England in more than 30 years – larger than the city of York.

“That’s why it’s a unique opportunity,” he said.

“We know that the UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, and all my life I’ve had enough of looking at a lot of graphs that suggest nature is going downhill.

“We want to bend the curve on that and start bringing nature back into scale.”

The trusts said local residents would benefit from increased access to the property, with the potential to build new trails, develop a visitor and education center and create new jobs.

Mr Pratt described the Rothbury property as being in an area that could be a “special nature restoration area” – the only opportunity of this scale in England.

“It has a really wonderful and interesting landscape, but when you look in detail, a lot of the micro-biodiversity, like everywhere else, is not there as it should be,” he said.

“It’s a great canvas for restoring nature in this beautiful landscape.”