The Giants Are Coming Back: White-Tailed Eagles Are Returning to Exmoor

Natural England has issued a licence allowing the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and Forestry England to release up to 20 white-tailed eagles in Exmoor National Park over three years, building on the successful Isle of Wight reintroduction project. The licence followed a thorough evidence-based assessment that considered ecological impacts, biosecurity, and socio-economic concerns, including fears from farmers about livestock predation — fears which six years of Isle of Wight monitoring data have not supported. Key safeguards including GPS tracking, farming sector representation on a steering group, and long-term monitoring commitments are built into the licence conditions.