London Beaver Working Group

Reintroduction

London Beaver Working Group
London beaver

OVERVIEW

Hunted to extinction across the UK 400 years ago for their pelts and oil from their scent glands (known as castoreum), we have a vision for returning this charismatic animal back to London where it once thrived. In January 2021, working with the Beaver Trust, under the London Beaver Working Group, we brought together some of London’s key conservation organisations, community groups and environmental decision-makers in London to discuss the possibility of beavers in our Capital once again.

London Beaver Working Group

PROJECT DETAILS

Where: London

Species: Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber)

IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern globally, but IUCN list as endangered in Scotland and not assessed in the rest of the UK.

Threats: In the UK under threat from human-wildlife conflict.

BACKGROUND

As the rewilding movement continues to grow, species reintroductions are gathering pace. Furthermore, beavers are now high on the agenda of many conservation strategies. As ecosystem engineers, they breathe life into ecosystems, damming up streams to create wetland habitats where wildlife can thrive. In addition to this, the wetland habitats they create are excellent for flood prevention, sequestering carbon and providing water during periods of dr