Wild Newtondale is one of four areas within the nation's forests where we're taking a nature-led approach to restoring fully functioning and resilient ecosystems. Wild Newtondale nestled within the North York Moors National Park covers 458 hectares and will deliver landscape-scale ecological enhancements that will benefit both nature and people.
At Forestry England we are the driving force behind biodiversity recovery on an unprecedented scale. Our pioneering efforts are restoring wild landscapes, revitalising ecosystems and reintroducing lost species.
Find out more about how we'll achieve this and follow the latest updates here.
Creating a balanced ecosystem
Wild Newtondale will become a dynamic environment, with no end point: it will be self-sustaining and ever-adapting to change, creating more resilient habitats.
Through this project we will look to restore natural processes by creating corridors for wildlife and restoring hydrological function.
We will share our observations, and our lessons learned, inspiring others and allowing visitors to reconnect with a wilder landscape.
Latest updates from Wild Newtondale
Wild Newtondale got underway in April 2024, and since then we've been busy gathering a range of information from the site. From vegetation surveys to archaeological assessments, we have been piecing together a detailed picture of the current landscape. Even using innovative environmental DNA techniques to understand what species are living in the water and soil.
We have been researching ways we can bring back or strengthen natural processes that have been lost or weakened. This includes exploring how we can re-naturalise watercourses by removing barriers, and how grazing might help create more diverse habitats. Throughout this process we have worked closely with partners and local communities to ensure our plans fit well into the wider landscape.
Making Newtondale wild
The Wild Newtondale project will follow these principles:
- Room to grow - Supporting the transition of habitats, restoring natural processes and allow nutrient cycling to take greater priority.
- Room to flow - Restoring natural flow of water throughout the site through weir removal and flood plain management torestore hydrological processes in the landscape
- Room to roam - Reconnecting wildlife corridors to allow species to roam, reinforcing keystone species such as Northern Hairy Wood Ant and Adders.
Working in partnership
Forestry England's forest rewilding programme is supported by Defra’s biodiversity funding.
Linking Levisham
Wild Newtondale also forms part of Linking Levisham Landscape Recovery Scheme; a multi-partner project covering an area of 2,880 hectares, including the North York Moors National Park Authority, Forestry England, North Yorkshire Moors Railway, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Ministry of Defence, Natural England and local farmers with each contributing to different aspects of landscape and biodiversity management.
