Beavers are a keystone species, referred to as “ecosystems engineers” and the perfect architects of healthy and biodiverse ecosystems. With their dam and canal creation, they create wetlands and deadwood which create the ideal habitats for insects, amphibians, and even water voles. They also slow the flow of waterways, preventing flooding and filtering water, improving water quality!

A licence has been granted by Natural England to reintroduce Eurasian beavers to Ealing in a controlled enclosure trial at Paradise Fields in North Greenford. This is a joint project between Ealing Wildlife Group (EWG), Ealing Council, Citizen Zoo and Friends of Horsenden Hill and supported by experts at the Beaver Trust. 

Ealing Council has agreed to provide ranger support and partial financial backing from Section 106 developer funding to improve the local environment and provide community benefit. We will be seeking further funding for the project to make it happen should our application be successful.

Following a series of visits, Paradise Fields has been identified as a highly suitable habitat for beaver reintroduction and a flagship London rewilding project. The intention is to enclose most of the 10-hectare site and uniquely allow visitors to enter an immersive experience in a rewilding beaver landscape. It is important to study the impacts of beavers in the urban landscape in an enclosed trial before wider free-living beaver reintroduction is considered or before natural recolonisation occurs over the coming years.

Since then, the project has received funding from the Mayor of London as part of his Rewild London 2 Fund. This support will drive the project forward through physical preparation of the site, baseline ecological surveys and establishing monitoring activity and community engagement.