A 15-acre scrapyard littered with tyres, oil and car parts is to be restored to the wildlife-rich peat bog it was built on, conservationists said.
Shropshire Wildlife Trust has bought a former breaker's yard which has closed after 50 years, and plans to clean it up and restore the natural habitat that has been lost.
The scrapyard lies on one of Britain's largest peat bogs, the Marches Mosses, a wildlife-rich landscape spanning more than 2,000 acres and designated as a special area of conservation and national nature reserves because of its important habitat.
To restore nature to the site in North Shropshire, the wildlife trust will have to get specialist help to clean acres of concrete of 50 years of waste.
This includes clearing up 100,000 tyres and tonnes of wing mirrors and bumpers and cleaning out oil sump pits.
The trust will then cover the site with peat, allowing the bog habitat to regenerate so species such as carnivorous sundew, cotton grass and curlews to return.
It has launched a public appeal to help convert the site back to nature.
Colin Preston, chief executive of Shropshire Wildlife Trust, said: "It has taken years of investigation, negotiation and planning to come to this pint. Taking on a project of this scale as a local charity is a huge challenge.
"But if we don't step up and do this the scrapyard pollution will continue to damage this wild and important wildlife haven. Every penny donated will help nature fight back."