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 are 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.

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 connected

We want wildlife to have as much space as possible to expand, explore and thrive, but this has become increasingly difficult as their habitats become more fragmented.

Alongside Natural England, the National Nature Reserve and our reserves, around 1,300 hectares of land in Ingleborough are under active conservation programmes – with the potential to expand further. 

By working together and sharing data, we can help to give Ingleborough and its resident species the best future possible.

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

Retaining heritage

The rolling Yorkshire Dales are world-renowned for their patchwork of fields bordered by dry stone walls. Not only are these impressive structures an endangered heritage craft, they also provide unique habitats for all manner of life.

With your support, we can help to pass on this critically needed skillset to help preserve and rebuild these important wildlife corridors. Everything we do to restore nature will be with heritage in mind, whist learning and trialling new conservation techniques along the way as our climate changes.

£150 could help us repair two meters of drystone wall

Conservation grazing

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 like lapwings, curlews and skylarks.

This style of grazing leaves niches in grassland habitats, which allows new seeds to germinate, vegetation to recover, and the diversity of plant species to re-establish.

£200 could provide a grazing animal for a year

Connecting people with nature

The work we do doesn't just stop at restoring this incredible landscape: its also essential that we are ablet to better connect  and engage local communities and school groups with the hills and dales they call home.

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