A wild past and a wilder future

If you stood here over a thousand years ago, you would see a wild abundance of plants and animals. The limestone pavements would barely be recognisable and covered with mosses, ferns and shrubs. 

Wild grazing animals wander in small herds, selectively grazing to produce varied sward heights or grasses and flowers brimming with butterflies and bees

Today remnants of this rich habitat survive in unconnected fragments. Thousands of years of human activity and a changing climate means 1 in 6 UK species now face extinction without our help. 

Pavement revegetation

Historically, Ingleborough's limestone pavement would have been blanketed by moss, ferns and shrubs. The deep, sheltered grykes act like mini ecosystems and can support a diverse range of plants and invertebrates. 

We have collected spores from the dwindling populations of holly ferns and are propagating rare montane tree species like creeping willow to plant out on the pavement - returning it to its former glory.

£25 could enable us to grow and plant out five limestone plants from seed

Our High Altitude Nursery

Extremely rare montane plants, like purple saxifrage (found only in this small corner of the world) cling desperately to Ingleborough’s rocky places, unprotected and teetering on the brink of global extinction.

Our amazing conservation team have gone to painstaking lengths to collect cuttings and seeds from these last remaining specimens.

By propagating these fragile plants in our dedicated nursey we can restore and recover dwindling populations and introduce them to new areas of Ingleborough.
 

£50 could help to equip and train volunteers to grow and establish montane wild flowers

Bigger, better, more joined up

Across Ingleborough, animals and plants are confined to isolated pockets of habitat, unable to expand across disconnected fragments of land in search of food, shelter, or a mate.

We want wildlife to have as much space as possible to expand, explore and thrive, and for the space to be managed for nature, resilient to a changing climate.

Woking in collaboration with Natural England, our reserves and the National Nature Reserve currently cover 1,300 hectares – with the momentum to expand further.

£100 could provide a day of monitoring and surveys to help inform and target our work

Retaining heritage

The Yorkshire Dales are world-renowned for their patchwork of fields bordered by dry stone walls. We have trained staff and volunteers to build and repair dry stone walls, and continuously work to ensure robust boundaries to manage livestock and maintain local character.

Everything we do to restore nature will be with heritage in mind, preserving crafts and skills - while learning, trialling new conservation techniques along the way, as our climate changes.

£150 could help us repair two meters of drystone wall

Conservation grazing

Low intensity grazing allows vegetation to recover and the diversity of plant species to re-establish.

Cattle are less fussy than sheep, content to chew away at rank grasses, and their style of eating results in varied grass height, which is great for ground nesting birds.

Cattle grazing leaves niches in the grass, which allows new seeds to germinate.

£200 could provide a grazing animal for a year

Connecting people with nature

We are working with local primary schools to help children achieve their John Muir award, encouraging young children to connect with and preserve Yorkshire's natural world. Our community access fund also supports people from further afield to access the amazing Wild Ingleborough landscape.

£500 could enable a school day trip to visit and learn about Ingleborough