“Land on top of an old opencast mine is to get a £2m wildlife makeover.
The 327-hectare site at Druridge Bay is to be made “wilder” as part of the Northumberland Wildlife Trust’s plan to show how nature can recover from industrialisation.
It bought the site in West Chevington, which is wood and grassland, thanks to a donation from The Reece Foundation.
The charity said it was one of its most ambitious lowland rewilding projects in its fight against global warming.
The land was acquired from regeneration specialist Harworth Group plc.
‘Nature will flourish’
The charity said it would allow conservationists to test a number of rewilding methods with the aim of storing carbon, boosting biodiversity and connecting wildlife habitats on an “unprecedented scale locally.”
Mike Pratt, Northumberland Wildlife Trust’s chief executive said: “Over the next five, 10 or many decades, we will bring about a natural regeneration of woodland and scrub, restore farmed land and promote diverse grasslands and wetlands that support a huge variety of wildlife….”
View the whole story here: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-60141230