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England's Wildest Moor: Rewilding for Profit and Planet
6 Sep
Summary
- 7,500-acre Emblehope Moor acquired for £8.5m to become England's largest rewilding site.
- Investors receive financial returns before the land transfers to community or charity ownership.
- Restoration aims to reintroduce species and rewet peatlands, funded by investors and loans.
Emblehope Moor, a vast 7,500-acre glacial bowl in remote Northumberland, has been acquired for £8.5m by nature restoration company Restore. This marks England's largest contiguous rewilding site under single ownership. Restore aims to reintroduce species such as golden eagles, curlews, and beavers, while also tackling the rewetting of desiccated peat moorland.
The project has a unique financial model: after delivering biodiversity gains and financial returns for investors, alongside repaying a £4.5m loan from Triodos Bank, the site will be handed over to local community or charitable owners. Founder Benedict Macdonald envisions this capitalist and community model as a national blueprint for uplands.
Restore's immediate tasks include rewetting peatlands by addressing land drains and removing non-native sitka spruce plantations. They plan to introduce Exmoor ponies to reduce fire risk from dry grass thatch and later use beavers to help manage water levels. The estate's farmer and gamekeeper have been retained, bringing invaluable local knowledge.
Future funding will come from forestry income, grazing, eco-tourism, and crucially, natural capital payments like carbon credits and corporate sponsorships for habitat restoration. Research is also exploring the potential tourism benefits of rewilding in Northumberland.
