Beaver reintroduction

Having completed a detailed feasibility assessment (and successful crowdfunder campaign), a pair of native Eurasian beavers were released to a fully secure enclosure in a North Norfolk river headwater.

Missing from Norfolk for many centuries, it was a wonderful day. But, it was not simply about returning this long lost animal to its native land, it was all about what beavers can do for the health of our rivers.

This is because beavers are wonderous ecosystem engineers. Their dam creation ‘slows the flow of water’, and this not only reduces flood peaks & prevents drought, it also improves water quality and resilience, stores carbon and creates a diverse mosaic of habitat for biodiversity to thrive.

With rivers facing many challenges, and biodiversity plummeting, we really can’t wait to see the transformation of this freshwater habitat – all of which will be closely monitored over the coming months with academic partners from UEA and UCL.

View our beaver page for further details and updates.