STORY
Golden eagles could return to England for the first time in more than 150 years under a new Government backed recovery programme announced by Defra. Ministers have approved an additional £1 million to explore reintroducing the birds, with a study by Forestry England identifying eight potential recovery zones, mostly in the north of England, where populations could be sustained.
The birds were once widespread across England but were driven close to extinction by persecution in the Victorian period, with only a handful of pairs recorded since and the last eagle in the Lake District dying in 2016. Under the new plans, juveniles aged six to eight weeks could be released as early as next year as part of a wider effort to restore the species.
The project will be led by the charity Restoring Upland Nature in partnership with Forestry England, drawing on the model used by the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project, where populations have recovered strongly in recent years. Officials said some Scottish birds have already begun crossing into northern England, and the new funding will support further work with local communities, landowners, farmers and conservation groups before any reintroduction goes ahead.
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