UK Funds £1 Million for Golden Eagle Return to England

The UK government has allocated £1 million to support the reintroduction of golden eagles to England, marking a potential return of the iconic bird of prey after more than 150 years of absence. The funding, announced by Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds, will back a three-year program led by Forestry England and the charity Restoring Upland Nature, with juvenile birds possibly released as early as next year in northern England.

A feasibility study by Forestry England, published on Sunday, identified eight suitable recovery zones capable of sustaining golden eagle populations. These areas, selected for their appropriate climate, landscape and low disturbance levels, include Northumberland as the top site, along with the North Pennines, Lake District, Yorkshire Dales, Bowland in Lancashire, South Pennines, North York Moors and parts of the South West. The initiative builds on successful reintroduction efforts in southern Scotland, where populations have grown to nearly 50 pairs since 2018 through translocation of chicks from the Scottish Highlands and Orkney Isles. Satellite tracking shows some of these birds already venturing into northern England, though experts estimate it...