THE Forestry Commission has announced that Natural England will be allowed access to Kielder Forest to monitor the behaviour of lynx, should the wildcat be reintroduced to the area.

The commission confirmed that it had given an in-principle decision to allow Natural England access to the forest, but also stated that the decision does not mean it is backing the re-introduction of the predator.

A spokesman for the Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) said: "

Any decision to grant a licence to reintroduce lynx into the wild in England will be based on the impacts on affected communities, the wider environment and follow international guidelines.

"No decision has been made and Ministers will decide whether to grant a licence after considering advice from Natural England.

"We can confirm we have given an in-principle decision for conditional access for monitoring to Natural England as part of their licence considerations and advice to Ministers.

"Our in-principle decision is not ‘backing’ or an opinion on whether or not to approve."

Last week, the Lynx UK Trust claimed their proposals to reintroduce six Eurasian Lynx to Kielder Forest had the backing of landowners responsible for 700km sq of the Kielder area.

However, their claims were disputed by the National Sheep Association.