Reintroducing Golden Eagles to England’s Skies

After over 150 years, golden eagles could be returning to England’s skies, now that the Environment Secretary has approved an additional £1 million of government funding for their reintroduction.

Once widespread across England, persecution, habitat loss and a lack of safe nesting sites all contributed to their decline. By 1850, they officially became extinct in England and Wales, with only a small population surviving in the remote Scottish Highlands.

However, a new study by Forestry England has found that England may have the capacity to sustain the iconic birds once more, with eight potential areas identified as being most suitable. This means that the Cheviots, North Pennines, Lake District, Yorkshire Dales, Bowland, South Pennines, North York Moors and the South-West may all see the implementation of reintroduction programmes, with the potential for juveniles, six to eight weeks old, to be released as early as next year.

In 2018, the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project launched their own groundbreaking initiative to restore the golden eagle population, and with the appropriate government funding, England should see the same success.

This reintroduction could be hugely beneficial for English ecosystems. As keystone species, golden eagles play a vital role at the top of the food chain in remote mountainous and open moorland regions by controlling the population of smaller mammals and birds. They also act as ‘cleaners’ of the environment- they scavenge carcasses, which can quickly become disease and toxin reservoirs that may enter the wider environment if left uneaten.

The project does not come without its criticisms, especially amongst farmers. Eagles are known to occasionally take young lambs, and English farmers have raised concerns for the wellbeing of their livestock with the reintroduction of the apex predator. However, Forestry England have acknowledged these concerns and are committed to working with farming communities to obtain their support. There is no doubt that before any action is taken, there will be a huge amount of planning to ensure the project would be beneficial, legal and safe for all.

As outlined in the Environment Act, species abundance has dropped to an estimated 67% of its 1970 level, and almost one in six species are threatened with extinction. It is clear that biodiversity has taken a hit in the UK in recent times. Rewilding director Kevin Cummings of conservation charity Rewilding Britain explains that “out of the 240 countries in the world, the UK is 228th, literally one of the worst countries in the world for how much of our biodiversity is left”. This reintroduction of golden eagles comes as part of the government’s wider target to halt and reverse the decline in species abundance in the UK and take targeted action to conserve and recover threatened species.

Reintroduction projects similar to this have shown great success in the past, as demonstrated by the Knepp Estate- a wildlife conservation project aiming to restore biodiversity to an old farming estate in West Sussex. The estate has seen the reintroduction of beavers, bison and storks. As a result, a 20-year ecological review has shown soaring numbers of birds that are on the conservation “red list” and an increasing variety of butterfly and dragonfly species. In fact, the number of different species on the Knepp Estate has more than doubled in this time.

This project shows just how powerful rewilding projects can be for UK ecosystems- the golden eagle reintroduction is another step towards restoring the beautiful biodiversity of our country.

Sources

BBC Bitesize (2025). Rewilding success stories from across the UK – BBC Bitesize. [online] BBC Bitesize. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zb33mbk.

Buchan, C. (2026). Knepp sees surge in biodiversity since start of rewilding scheme. BBC News. [online] 12 Jan. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czejl6nx2y3o.

DEFRA (2025). Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) 2025. [online] GOV.UK. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environmental-improvement-plan-2025/environmental-improvement-plan-eip-2025#chapter-1-restored-nature.

DEFRA (2026). Iconic golden eagles to make comeback in England. [online] GOV.UK. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/iconic-golden-eagles-to-make-comeback-in-england.

Forestry England (2025). Golden eagles. [online] Forestry England. Available at: https://www.forestryengland.uk/nature-wildlife/golden-eagles.

Kettel, E. (2026). Golden eagles in England? Here’s the ecological case for bringing them back. The Conversation. [online] doi: https://doi.org/10.64628/AB.tgmmwefk4.

Knepp (n.d.). Rewilding. [online] Knepp. Available at: https://knepp.co.uk/rewilding/.

Lonsdale, J. (2026). Consultation ‘vital’ before golden eagles return to England. BBC News. [online] 14 Apr. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gxjj71280o.

Rae, J. and Wright, S. (2022). Recovery through reintroductions. [online] Rewilding Britain. Available at: https://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/why-rewild/reintroductions-key-species/reintroductions-and-bringing-back-species.

Rewilding Britain (2024). Golden eagle reintroduction & conservation. [online] Rewilding Britain. Available at: https://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/why-rewild/reintroductions-key-species/key-species/golden-eagle.

Whitfield, P., Fielding, A., Counsell, G. and Gardner, R. (2026). Golden Eagle recovery feasibility in England. [online] Available at: https://www.forestryengland.uk/sites/default/files/documents/Golden%20eagle%20recovery%20feasibility%20in%20England.pdf.

www.goldeneaglessouthofscotland.co.uk. (n.d.). The South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project. [online] Available at: https://www.goldeneaglessouthofscotland.co.uk/.

For more news, click here: https://www.liverpoolguildstudentmedia.co.uk/category/news/