Page 36 - Yachter Winter 2019

36 FEATURES
WHITE-TAILED EAGLES
Project will see the birds return to the Isle of Wight after an absence
of almost 240 years. Plans to return white-tailed eagles to the South
of England have taken a step forward after a licence was issued by the Government’s wildlife licensing authority, Natural England.The licence to reintroduce Britain’s largest bird of prey was granted to The Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and Forestry England who will undertake a five-year reintroduction programme based on the Isle of Wight.
White-tailed eagles were once widespread across Southern Britain until the eighteenth century when persecution and human activity lead to the birds being wiped out. The last known breeding place in the region was recorded at Culver Cliff on the Isle of Wight in 1780.
The project could give a significant
boost to the Island’s economy after a similar scheme on The Isle of Mull was found to have boosted its local economy by up to £5 million a year.
Roy Dennis, Founder of The Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation said, “White-
tailed eagles were once a common sight in England and southern Europe but were lost centuries ago.This project aims to reverse that situation by restoring the eagles to their ancestral nesting places. I can remember
as a lad walking along Culver Cliffs to
see where the eagles had once lived. It is incredible now to be able to play a part in returning these birds back to their home. We look forward to working with a range of organisations on the Island, and in the Solent area, to help make this exciting project a success.”
Bruce Rothnie, South Forest
Management Director, at Forestry England, said,“Our woodlands provide a haven for wildlife and we hope that they will become home to these incredible birds on the Isle of Wight.This long-term project is a great opportunity to help to restore the white- tailed eagle to the South Coast of England and we are proud to be involved in helping to bring back this rarest of birds to Britain.”
Reintroducing these birds is a priority
in the Government’s 25Year Environment Plan. Implementation of the licence will
be closely monitored by Natural England. Public support for the project has been high with 76 per cent of local people surveyed supporting the reintroduction of the birds to the area.
The majestic white-tailed eagle has a wing span over eight foot and a brown plumage with a pale head and distinctive white tail. Over the next five years, young birds, bred in the wild in Scotland, will be reintroduced on Forestry England woodland on the Isle
of Wight.The young birds will be released once they are familiar with their new home and will initially be fed to encourage them