National Trust outlines plan to protect Lake District

The Lake District. Credit: National Trust/Steve Morgan

The National Trust has announced plans to protect the Lake District over the next ten years, to reverse what it calls an "alarming decline in wildlife".

They point to the State of Nature Report, published by the RSPB and others, which says:

To look after the Lake District, it's pledged:

  • To spend around £1bn over the next ten years on the conservation of the National Trust's houses, gardens and countryside, including £300m on clearing the current backlog of repairs.

  • Cut energy usage by 20% by 2020, and source 50% of that from renewable sources on National Trust land.

  • Develop hydropower schemes to generate as much electricity as the National Trust consumes, by 2020.

  • Work with 90 tenant farmers in the Lake District to improve the condition of the land.