A £250,000 fundraising appeal has been launched to encourage the return of forgotten species to the Yorkshire Dales.

The National Trust wants to improve eco-systems and natural diversity in the national park by planting native trees, repairing bogs and restoring natural drainage systems to rivers.

The trust aims to create a self-sustaining landscape through the £250,000 project, which is hoped to be raised largely from public donations in just one year.

Martin Davies, National Trust Yorkshire Dales general manager, said: "This is a great opportunity to retain the best of the area and improve it by creating a more natural habitat for birds and animals. Nature just needs a bit of help to get things going.

“Everyone knows and loves the Yorkshire Dales. But the landscape has been hugely altered by humans - woodland clearance and intensive livestock grazing over many centuries has left the land bare and uniform, whilst the river systems and peatlands need help now to limit flooding and erosion.”

Six threatened species need help – birds including twite, ring ouzel and black grouse alongside the plant juniper, the northern brown argus butterfly and the red squirrel.

Cash raised from the appeal will be focused around three key areas to support the future survival of these species and their habitat in the Dales - Fountains and Darnbrook Fells, Horse Head Moor and the wider Upper Wharfedale estate.

Work will involve establishing major areas of native trees and shrubs, repairing blanket bogs, restoring more natural drainage systems to the rivers and hillsides and supporting different farming models.

Donations can be from as little as £10 and the appeal will last until May 2015 for phased delivery over a ten-year period.

For more information visit join.nationaltrust.org.uk/donate/oneoff