In 2021, a North Yorkshire estate began restoring 2,500 acres of farmed land; four years later...

Nature recovery at Broughton Sanctuary Four years after moving 2,500 acres of North Yorkshire farmland away from intensive farming, conservation teams at Broughton Sanctuary have recorded more than 1,700 species and planted 330,000 trees across the estate. According to the Broughton Sanctuary State of Nature Recovery Report, published in December 2025, 80 per cent of the 1,030-hectare historic site near Skipton is now managed through rewilding and nature-friendly farming methods. The land was previously mainly used as monoculture pasture. Supported by the White Rose Forest through the UK Government's Trees for Climate programme, tree cover across the estate rose from less than 5 per cent in 2020 to more than 35 per cent by the end of 2025.Woodland expansion and species countsThe estate's tree-planting programme has added 19 native broadleaf species across 400 hectares. These young woodland corridors link areas of broken-up habitat, helping wildlife move between them while also supporting carbon capture and natural flood management. Surveys included in the report have recorded more than 1,700 species across the restored land. Reduced intensive grazing allowed longer grasses to grow,...