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Eagles could return to the skies of Wales for the first time in nearly 200 years.

A study is being carried out to see whether the British Golden Eagle and the White-tailed Eagle could be re-introduced.

Places being looked at as possible re-introduction sites are Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons for Golden Eagles and the west Wales coast for the White-tailed Eagle.

Cardiff University researchers are looking at whether Wales’ 21st century landscape could support the two lost species which last lived here in the late 1800s.

Once a common sight in skies over Wales the golden and white-tailed eagle were driven to extinction here in the mid-1800s. Loss of habitat and human persecution have left the European population of both eagle species in decline.

But researchers hope successful re-introduction in Scotland and Ireland could be replicated in Wales. Until now there has not been a rigorous assessment of whether it may be possible.

Eagle Reintroduction Wales Project researcher, Sophie-lee Williams from Cardiff University , said: “This is a very exciting opportunity for Wales.

“Wales is home to large expanses of potentially suitable eagle habitat, but, before we begin reintroducing the species, there are many questions we need to answer about the quality of habitat, and whether it can sustain eagles.

“Working closely with partners such as the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and Wildlife Trust Wales, we are currently carrying out a full feasibility study which will enable us to answer some of these questions and determine whether the Welsh countryside is a suitable location for eagle reintroduction.”

Reintroducing eagles to the Welsh countryside would be an achievement of international conservation importance and would be good for the environment as well as a source of wildlife tourism income, she said.

The reintroduction programme of White-tailed Eagles on the west coast of Scotland attracts an extra 1.4 million visitors to the region every year, generating up to £5 million of tourist spend on the Isle of Mull, and supporting 110 jobs.

(Image: RSPCA)

“The project is in the very early stages of development, and a reintroduction is not likely to happen for some time”, said Sophie-lee.

“If our landscape research is positive, there will be a significant and strictly regulated licensing and consultation process before eagles are re-introduced, which would enable residents to have their concerns heard and addressed.

“However, if successful, the project could bring far-reaching benefits, helping to restore Wales’ diminished biodiversity, regenerating local economies, and aiding the conservation status of both the Golden and White-tailed eagle at a national and international level.”

Issues which may affect suitability are wind farms and commercial forestry but re-introduction programmes in Scotland in the 1970s and Ireland in the early 2000s have been successful.

Golden eagles have never become extinct in Scotland where White Tailed Eagles were succesfully re-introduced in the 1970s. In Ireland both species were successfully re-introduced in 2005 and 2007.

If Wales does have suitable habitat birds could be brought in from Scotland and Norway.

“I first saw Golden Eagles in Scotland in 2015 and fell in love with them,” said Sophie-Lee.

“Experiencing what biodiversity should be like drives my passion for this. These are birds we should be seeing in our natural environment in Wales.”