A public appeal has been launched to help buy England's "highest nature reserve" and restore thousands of acres of lost Atlantic rainforest, moorland and peat bogs.
Cumbria Wildlife Trust is requesting the public's help to buy Skiddaw Forest in the Lake District in order to protect the important site for nature, geology and public access.
It hopes to restore 620 acres of lost Atlantic rainforest as part of a 100-year vision to return wildlife to the lower slopes of the forest.
It will also restore more than 2,200 acres of other habitat including montane scrub (a form of high-altitude tree-line woodland), wildflower grasslands and heather moorlands, as well as 992 acres of peatbog.
Open public access to the fell, whose altitude ranges from 360m to Skiddaw's summit of 931m, will be secured, the charity said.
A partnership between The Wildlife Trusts and Aviva has raised £5m towards the £6.25m asking prices, with additional support secured from charitable funders to ensure Cumbria Wildlife Trust did not lose the chance to buy the land.
But the trust needs to raise the final £1.25m and is appealing for public help.
The bid to buy Skiddaw Forest, which covers 3,000 acres of currently ungrazed upland, is backed by mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington and writer and TV presenter Julia Bradbury.
Sir Chris said: "As a lover of the Lake District fells, and a keen advocate for the environment and biodiversity, I can't think of a better organisation to manage Skiddaw Forest than Cumbria Wildlife Trust.
"Their tireless work has really helped to put wildlife into the consciousness of the public and put nature back on to the map."
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'Our natural world needs a lot of help'
Ms Bradbury said the purchase was an "amazing opportunity for nature recovery on such a large scale".
"I'm delighted Cumbria Wildlife Trust can begin restoring precious montane habitats on this iconic Lakeland fell which is still close to my heart in so many ways.
"Our natural world needs a lot of help and it's visions like this that can make a tremendous difference," she said.
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'A unique and exciting opportunity'
Stephen Trotter, chief executive of Cumbria Wildlife Trust, said: "This is a unique and exciting opportunity to create England's highest nature reserve and, working with farmers and the local community, we urgently need to put more wildlife back into a much-loved and spectacular part of Cumbria.
He added: "Skiddaw Forest offers a unique opportunity for wildlife and climate resilience at a major scale in the Lake District National Park.
"We have to reverse the decline of nature in national parks to help address the impacts of the climate emergency and the wider wildlife crisis."
To contribute to the appeal to buy Skiddaw Forest, click here or call 01539 816300.
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