The Government has approved £1 million to explore bringing golden eagles back to England, giving the uplands a rare opportunity to receive major public investment before anybody has approved a bypass through it. The birds were virtually wiped out by persecution during the Victorian era, the last eagle died in the Lake District in 2016, and Forestry England says Scottish birds could be seen across northern England within 10 years. Eight possible recovery zones are now waiting to learn whether they qualify for eagle related paperwork.
The announcement is careful not to promise an eagle on every village sign by Tuesday. It funds the exploration of a reintroduction programme, with young birds potentially released as early as next year. The project will involve conservationists, farmers, game managers, landowners, recreation groups, tourism and education interests, ensuring that the consultation contains almost as many interested parties as the landscape contains sheep.
There is already evidence that this is not simply a government daydream with feathers attached. Golden eagle populations in southern Scotland have recovered to record numbers, and satellite tracking shows that some birds have crossed the border to inspect northern England. The first arrivals may therefore be less a dramatic invasion than a cautious visit by neighbours checking whether the kettle works.
The Government says the golden eagle is a keystone species that can help keep ecosystems in balance. This is a useful distinction from many national projects, which begin by destabilising everything and then appoint a taskforce to describe the instability as an encouraging early outcome.
The southern Scottish recovery project is being offered as a model. Its success involved conservationists, raptor study groups, gamekeepers, land managers and thousands of people in local communities. Northern England will now attempt the same collaborative approach, probably beginning with a meeting at which everyone agrees that the eagle is magnificent and nobody agrees who is responsible for the parking.
The birds will not simply be dropped over the Pennines and told to make themselves useful. The programme must build support, protect the landscape and establish a population capable of breeding. Even the timetable is sensibly modest. People may see golden eagles within a decade, while established breeding will take longer, allowing several years for the paperwork to achieve its own stable population.
Still, the prospect is cheering. After more than 150 years, England may be preparing to welcome back a bird large enough to carry away the entire consultation, leaving the uplands to report that public engagement has been a soaring success.
Source: GOV.UK.
