Government Pledges £1.9M to Aid Major Wildlife Project
A significant government grant brings the Rothbury Estate appeal closer to its £30 million target for a large-scale nature recovery initiative.
The government has pledged £1.9 million towards efforts to acquire the Rothbury Estate, a move that brings a major nature recovery project closer to its fundraising goal. The appeal is nearing its target of £30 million.
The funding was announced on Monday at the UN Global Biodiversity Conference, COP17, which is currently taking place in Armenia. This significant contribution marks a substantial step forward for the initiative, which aims to establish one of England's largest nature recovery projects.
Craig Bennett OBE, chief executive of the Wildlife Trusts, described the funding as a "stamp of approval" for the project. He noted that it builds upon "millions generously donated by philanthropists, charitable funds and thousands of members of the public." The project anticipates a significant shift in land use, potentially reducing the number of sheep from 1,500 to 500 and quadrupling the number of cattle to 200.
However, local opinion on the estate's transformation remains divided. Earlier this year, tenant farmer Chris Armstrong, who manages 1,000 acres near the proposed site, indicated a split in local sentiment, likening the situation to the Brexit vote's division.
"I would think it would be that finely split," Armstrong told the BBC. "I think the majority of the farming community see this as a folly."
