Sir David Attenborough backs £30m bid to protect Rothbury Estate for future generations

The Rothbury Estate conservation project has gained the support of Sir David Attenborough, as wildlife charities race to raise £30 million to save one of England’s largest upland landscapes from being broken up and sold.

The 15-square-mile estate, which stretches across woodland, farmland and former grouse moor in Northumberland, is seen as a cornerstone of a proposed 40-mile “wild corridor” linking the coast to Kielder and the Scottish border.

Sir David, in a video appeal, said time was running out to protect what he called “a place where people and nature can thrive side by side”.

“People know and love the Simonside Hills that rise here,” he said. “They walk the ridges and listen for the calls of the curlew, they watch for red squirrels and admire the views as they scramble among the crags. They walk along its remote paths and marvel at the astonishing rock carvings left by our distant ancestors.”

The land was formerly owned by Lord Max Percy, youngest son of the Duke of Northumberland, whose family has held it for around 700 years. The Northumberland Wildlife Trust and The Wildlife Trusts have until October 2026 to raise the funds needed to buy the full estate.

A race against time

So far, around £8 million has been pledged in donations ranging from £5 to £5 million. Conservationists say the remaining two-thirds must be raised within a year to prevent the estate from being divided among private buyers.

Mike Pratt, Chief Executive of Northumberland Wildlife Trust, described the opportunity as “once in a lifetime.”

“It’s a chance to do something meaningful for nature on a large scale — to restore habitat, protect species and improve access to the countryside,” he said.

The estate already supports curlews, lapwings, mountain bumblebees, red squirrels and Atlantic salmon, but the Wildlife Trusts hope to see more species return. Plans include reintroducing grazing animals such as hardy cattle, ponies and possibly bison, while exploring the potential for pine martens, beavers and golden eagles to recolonise the land.

Craig Bennett, Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that Rothbury is the largest site to go on sale in England for more than 30 years, larger even than the city of York.

“The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world,” he said. “We’ve seen enough graphs pointing downward. We want to bend that curve and bring nature back at scale.”

Reviving a landscape and its community

Plans for the Rothbury Estate also include new walking paths, an education and visitor centre, and jobs connected to nature restoration and eco-tourism.

Mr Pratt said the area could become “a special zone for nature recovery,” describing the land as “a great canvas to restore biodiversity within a beautiful landscape”.

“It already has a fascinating topography,” he added, “but the finer biodiversity is missing, as it is in so many parts of Britain. This project could change that.”

Further information about the Wildlife Trusts’ fundraising campaign is available through their official donation appeal page.

For more independent coverage on the environment, conservation and public policy shaping the UK’s future landscapes, follow EyeOnLondon for informed and original reporting.

[Image Credit | The Wildlife Trust]

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