Restore Buys Emblehope Moor for £8.5m Rewilding Project

Restore has acquired the 7,500-acre Emblehope Moor in Northumberland for £8.5 million. The site is the largest contiguous rewilding area under single ownership in England, according to the company's founder, Benedict Macdonald.

The goal is to return golden eagles, curlews, black grouse, and beavers to the moor. The land was previously used for grouse shooting, sheep farming, and as a dog-training ground. Restore's 20-year scheme still needs to raise £4 million in funding.

A Model to 'Take the Greed Out'

After repaying a £4.5 million loan from Triodos Bank and delivering financial returns for investors, Restore plans to hand the site over to local community or charitable ownership. Benedict Macdonald described this as a deliberate move away from perpetual private landholding. "We want to prove that the bank is paid back, investors get their two-times return but we don’t need to become the next for ever laird," he told reporters. He called it both a capitalist and community model, adding, "we’ve got to take the greed out of it for it to work."

Environmentalist Ben Goldsmith has likened the cluster of wilding estates in Northumberland to 'Britain’s Yellowstone'. Nearby projects include the Rothbury estate, which wildlife trusts are trying to buy, and the privately managed College Valley and Hepple Wilds.

Initial Restoration Tasks

The first major tasks involve rewetting parched peatland and removing non-native sitka spruce trees. A hidden network of land drains has left the peat dry. Modelling suggests rewetting could allow the peat to store an additional 100,000 cubic metres of water.

"It’s going to be a massive exercise to identify the exits of water from the land," said Macdonald. In the future, beavers will be introduced to help manage water levels. Macdonald is confident they can thrive, having seen them dam heather on treeless moors in Norway.

A more immediate fire risk is being addressed. Thick, dry grass thatch beneath tussocks is considered dangerous. Exmoor ponies will be introduced to graze this down. This grazing will also help species like curlew, whose chicks currently struggle in the long grass.

Species Impact and Broader Landscape

Emblehope is already a Site of Special Scientific Interest with exciting numbers of raptors like merlin and prospecting golden eagles. Its streams have trout and salmon, and the area hosts red squirrels and pine martens.

Removing dense sitka spruce plantations will reduce unnaturally high predation from goshawks that lurk there. This will negatively impact a few species, such as long-eared owls and crossbills, but these birds remain in the vast neighbouring Kielder Forest. A challenge will be controlling wind-blown sitka seeds, termed "little shitkas" by Macdonald, with planned broadleaved screens.

Lynx Reintroduction and Estate Staff

While promotional videos have featured lynx, Restore has no funded plans to reintroduce the predator. Macdonald said the company has "no wish to be in the reintroduction party," though he conceded the economic argument for lynx, based on potential tourism, is compelling. A local survey found 72% in favour, but many sheep farmers are vehemently opposed.

Despite its wilding aims, Restore is retaining the estate's existing farmer and gamekeeper. Macdonald expressed surprise at others' surprise over this decision, praising the staff's deep knowledge of the land and their work with birds of prey.

Funding the Transformation

The project will be funded through a mix of conventional income and natural capital payments. Initial income will come from forestry work removing sitka spruce, and from cattle and sheep. Future revenue may come from education and limited eco-tourism, alongside government environmental payments.

Most income is expected from natural capital payments. These include carbon credits from restored peat bog and the sale of '30x30 Restore units', where corporations pay for the restoration of specific habitat patches. Macdonald framed this as corporate sponsorship for a major natural event, comparing it to backing global sporting events.