Tim Bonner: Eagles and wildcats to return to England?

Amongst a raft of announcements in the last couple of weeks the Secretary of State for Environment, George Eustice, has signalled opportunities for the reintroduction of a range of species including beavers, wildcats and golden eagles. A new 'species reintroductions task force' lead by Natural England has been set up to look at the return of species which have been lost. The draw of bringing back animals that have become extinct in the English countryside is undeniable, but the question has to be asked whether the focus on a few species which are not currently present is the right response to the decline of so many that are.

Rewilding advocates use a telling description of the sort of wild animals they want to reintroduce – charismatic megafauna – which can be simply translated into 'big animals we like to look at'. The focus of reintroduction campaigns is therefore nearly always on animals such as beavers, lynx, eagles and wolves. The case for their return to the countryside is pursued relentlessly and the focus on 'charismatic' animals seems to be an effective fundraising strategy.

This is not to say that such reintroductions cannot be positive. Red kites and wild boar have been reintroduced to the English countryside where there is also surely space for beavers, eagles and perhaps lynx. Wolves might be a step too far on our crowded island, but all reintroductions should be carefully considered and have the support of local communities.

The question is not so much whether these species should, or could, be re-introduced, but why they have become so central to the discussion of nature regeneration when the urgent challenge is halting the decline, and increasing the populations, of species which are already here. The worrying consequences of this obsession with the new over the existing, was brought home to me when a wandering lammergeier, or bearded vulture, took up residence in the Peak District last summer.

The Peak District is home to a range of critically threatened breeding birds such as the curlew, golden plover and ring ouzel. For weeks since the end of lockdown we had been hearing horror stories from members involved in the management of the moors about the impact of public access on their conservation work as huge numbers of people flocked to the area and some behaved recklessly. Yet it was only the arrival of "charismatic wildlife" as Derbyshire Wildlife Trust described it, that generated a reaction from the Wildlife Trust, the RSPB and other 'conservation' organisations. The fate of a single, albeit huge, vulture seemed to matter far more than all of the rest of the wildlife in the National Park.

The government undoubtedly has good intentions in promoting the reintroduction of some species and is clearly tapping into a public desire for their return. Ministers must be certain, however, that they do not tread on the curlew's nest as they gaze at the vulture.