Beavers, who were reintroduced to an Ealing nature site three years ago, have improved the local landscape and proved a joy to residents.
Ealing Beaver Project in Paradise Fields, Greenford, is a community-led re-wilding initiative in the heart of Ealing and the only fully accessible beaver site in the UK.
Beavers were brought back to London at a site in Enfield in 2022, but it was in Ealing where the first baby beavers were born in London for more than 400 years, after being driven to extinction by the Tudors. Now, eight beavers have made the 10-hectare site their home.
For these semi-aquatic herbivores, making the site home means producing ‘lodges’. Using their sharp incisors to fell willow and aspen trees, they construct dams from wood, slowing the flow of water and creating lagoons.
When the trees go, scrub and meadow grow in their place – shaping the perfect habitat for other wetland wildlife.
Downstream flooding is also minimised thanks to the dams, protecting Greenford from the annual torrents it usually contends with. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan recently took to Instagram to thank ‘nature’s engineers’ for saving Greenford Station from flooding.
In addition to boosting local biodiversity and protecting Greenford from floods, the spot has enabled local residents to enjoy a green oasis amid a busy urban environment. Paradise Fields is the only fully accessible beaver site in the UK, which means anyone can visit whenever they like.
Greenford local, Mary Finucane, said: “I think it makes us better inhabitants of this area. When I walk, I’m much more mindful of birdsong, and I’ve got my binoculars. I think it’s addictive and I think we’re better for it.”
Other sites are hoping to replicate the success of the Ealing Beaver Project.
Eastbrookend Country Park in Dagenham was identified as a suitable and similarly publicly accessible spot for beavers, who are set to arrive in 2027.
Featured image credit: Roxana Diba
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