Lake District: Plans to create 'England's highest nature reserve'

Legendary mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington is among those backing the Cumbria Wildlife Trust's public appeal to help buy Skiddaw Forest.

The charity said it aims to restore a huge, lost area of Atlantic rainforest as part of its 100-year vision for bringing back wildlife to the lower slopes of what would be the highest nature reserve in England.

Skiddaw Forest is not currently wooded - 'forest' in this context comes from the old use of the word forest, meaning hunting ground. Instead, it’s a vast area of moorland, upland heath and peatland, which includes three Lake District fell summits - Skiddaw, Great Calva and Little Calva.

The Trust said that these wildlife habitats are ecologically valuable and need to be carefully protected.

But its century-long plan for Skiddaw Forest also includes re-creating 620 acres - around 20 per cent of the site - of native Atlantic Rainforest on part of the slopes.

A native red squirrel, the kind of species which might call the future rainforest home (Image: Luke Massey, 2020Vision)

“This is a unique and exciting opportunity to create England’s highest nature reserve and, working with farmers and the local community, we urgently need to put more wildlife back into a much-loved and spectacular part of Cumbria," said Stephen Trotter, CEO of Cumbria Wildlife Trust.

The Trust paints a picture of restoring temperate rainforests to areas they once grew. Native trees will grow through natural regeneration from local seed as well as by planting locally-grown saplings. In the wet environment of north-west England, these trees will eventually be covered in mosses and lichens.

As part of a 'tapestry of life', the area could be home to iconic species such as red squirrel and pine marten.

The land has not been grazed or farmed for several years, the Trust said, but added it respects 'the cultural and historical landscape' of Skiddaw Forest.

Open public access to the fell – including Skiddaw’s summit – would be secured.

The hillside of Skiddaw (Image: Cumbria Wildlife Trust)

“As a lover of the Lake District fells, and a keen advocate for the environment and biodiversity, I can’t think of a better organisation to manage Skiddaw Forest than Cumbria Wildlife Trust," said Sir Chris Bonington. "Their tireless work has really helped to put wildlife into the consciousness of the public and put nature back onto the map.”

In partnership with insurance giants Aviva, £5million has already been raised and additional support has been secured from charitable funders towards the asking price.

Now the charity needs to raise the final £1.25million and is appealing to the public to secure the purchase.

“We’re asking the public to give whatever they can to help us secure this site and to bring more nature to this very special place," said Mr Trotter.

Sir Chris Bonington (Image: Chris Bonington Picture Library)

Claudine Blamey, chief sustainability officer at Aviva, said: “We’re delighted to see Skiddaw in the Lake District chosen as the latest site in our partnership with The Wildlife Trusts, creating England’s highest nature reserve in such an iconic location.

"Restoring temperate rainforest, peatlands and other habitats on Skiddaw will help the Lake District become more climate ready and provide communities and visitors the opportunity to experience the wonder of British rainforests for years to come.”

Saying the project will be collaborative with local stakeholders and farmers, the Trust has also suggested this is a 'sensitive and careful' approach to rainforest recovery, which will also help reduce the risk of flooding in the lower catchment.

In addition to the rainforest, the Trust also aims to restore one of the largest areas of blanket bog in the Lake District.

A beautiful pine marten which could inhabit the slopes of Skiddaw (Image: Mark Hamblin, 2020Vision)

Writer and television presenter Julia Bradbury said: “This is an amazing opportunity for nature recovery on such a large scale. I’m delighted Cumbria Wildlife Trust can begin restoring precious montane habitats on this iconic Lakeland fell which is still close to my heart in so many ways.

"It’s visions like this that can make a tremendous difference.”

To donate, go to cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/donate/skiddaw or call Cumbria Wildlife Trust on 01539 816300.