Charity races to raise millions to buy historic English estate

For sale: thousands of hectares of "rare beauty" owned by an English lord, which could become one of Britain's biggest sanctuaries of biodiversity.

A leading UK conservation charity is in a crowdfunding race against time in an ambitious bid to buy a swathe of rolling moorlands and woodlands, in the largest land sale in England in three decades.

The Wildlife Trusts organisation needs to raise £30 million ($40 million) to acquire the whole 3,800-hectares Rothbury Estate in northern Northumberland.

It has launched a major donations campaign and so far collected £20.6 million in just under two years. But that leaves a little less than £10 million to find by the end of September.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we can't let this go," Peter Batchelor, who is managing the acquisition plan for the Wildlife Trusts, told AFP.

More than 20,000 people have contributed to date, "some giving £5 and others £5 million", he said.

The Wildlife Trusts bought part of the estate -- including the famous Simonside Hills -- in late 2024.

Its sale has surprised many given the Percy family -- the Dukes of Northumberland -- have owned it for almost eight centuries, using the land until 2022 for grouse shooting.

The current duke's son, Max Percy, has said it is too difficult to manage from his home in southern England, and has agreed to give the charity two years to raise the funds to buy the remainder.

Carpeted with purple heather and green ferns, conservation specialist Duncan Hutt can already imagine what the entire estate -- an area as big as central London -- might look like if acquired.

It could feature "new scrub, trees, woodland", restored peatlands and cattle pastures, he said, gazing out over the site some 30 miles (50 kilometres) north of Newcastle.

If the fundraising effort falls short, the charities fear the estate will be carved up and sold to different owners, who could exploit the lands for commercial purposes.

"We were very concerned about who would buy it and what they would do with it," said Katy Nickolls, secretary of Rothbury's Women Institute who has lived locally for 30 years. 

Famed UK naturalist David Attenborough has even voiced his support in a video, triggering a surge in donations -- £1 million in a single week.

Bordered by several nature reserves and restoration project areas, the Wildlife Trusts and owners of those sites dream of one day creating a 65-kilometre-long biodiversity corridor stretching inland from the estate by the North Sea.

It would provide a much-needed sanctuary for wildlife in the densely-populated, nature-ravaged UK.

According to the State of Nature 2023 report -- compiled by dozens of conservation organisations and research institutes -- it is "now one of the most nature-depleted countries on Earth".

The report blamed "intensive management of agricultural land" as "the most significant factor driving species' population change".

Katy Barke, head of nature recovery at Northumberland Wildlife Trust which is a member of the Wildlife Trusts network, watched through binoculars as skylarks flew over a flower-filled meadow.

Other species include red squirrels, cuckoos, hares and butterflies. Pine martens and golden eagles, which already inhabit the region, could potentially return.

The potential introduction of beavers would create pools teeming with insects and invertebrates, and strengthen resilience to floods, which have become more frequent due to the impacts of climate change.  

Meanwhile, the lands also harbour archaeological treasures, including prized Neolithic rock carvings.

Barke noted the size and "integrity" of the Rothbury Estate set it apart.

"In terms of England, it's about as big a patch of land that you (can) get ... so that's really special," she told AFP.

The sale has caused "some nervousness" among local people about the change of ownership, admitted Sophie Bulgin, estate project manager.

There have been rumours of the possible reintroduction of wild animals such as bison. But the coalition has said any such move would be put to public consultation.

The Wildlife Trusts want to encourage the dozen farmers, mainly keeping sheep, to adopt more environmentally friendly practices, using fewer pesticides and chemical fertilisers.

The charity insists it wants to involve local communities in its efforts to promote nature and biodiversity.

For recreation, the Trusts also plan to turn an old railway line running through the estate into a cycle path and hiking trail.