UK’s first urban beavers thriving at Ealing nature reserve A family of five beavers has been introduced into a West London nature reserve as part of a project in Ealing. Eurasian beavers, one of the most impactful, native ecosystem engineers, have returned to Ealing for the first time in 400 years. This collaborative project provides access to a rewilded landscape for people to experience firsthand these animals’ incredible abilities to create nature rich wetlands. As a fully accessible site, this project stands to be the first of its kind in an urban setting in the UK. As wild populations in Kent and Oxfordshire inevitably move closer to London, this is an incredibly important component of the project, preparing people to live alongside this species once again. Not only will it give people the chance to learn about these animals and their incredible behaviours but will provide key learnings on how we can coexist together.
Paradise Fields is a 10-hectare area of woodland and wetlands in urban Greenford in the north of the borough. The project is a collaboration between Ealing Wildlife Group, Citizen Zoo, Friends of Horsenden Hill and Ealing Council with support from Beaver Trust. Dr Sean McCormack, Vet and Chair of Ealing Wildlife Group said: “Many people assume beavers are a wilderness species, when in fact we’ve just forgotten how closely we used to live alongside them. “We’re so excited to study how beavers interact with an urban river catchment and, crucially, with urban communities. Beavers are a keystone species, manipulating habitat to create biodiverse wetlands where many other species can thrive. Their activities can help combat and adapt to impacts of climate change through carbon capture, reduce flood
news
Photo by Bru-No @ Pixabay
risk by slowing water flow in times of high rainfall and mitigate drought by holding more water on the land.” Elliot Newton, Co-Founder of Citizen Zoo, said: “We are hoping to challenge perceptions, and demonstrate how London too, can embrace these ecosystem engineers as we strive for a healthier, wilder future in which our Capital can become a leader in urban rewilding. This will greatly benefit not only wildlife populations but local communities too.” Head of Restoration at Beaver Trust, Dr Roisín Campbell-Palmer, said: “Now that beavers are back in Britain, learning to coexist with them is fundamental to the species’ successful restoration. We look forward to continuing to support the team to make the most of this superbly located site.”
The Cabin on Feltham Green
Hounslow Council is delighted to announce that construction of the Cabin on Feltham Green has started and is due to be completed during the autumn, 2024. We hope that the Cabin’s distinctive and low carbon design will signal a new level of ambition for everyone who lives, works or studies locally and create a renewed sense of ownership and pride in the town centre. Its highly visible position in the centre of the town will form an integral part of both the natural landscape provided by the Green and the urban landscape of the adjacent High Street.
Purpose of the Cabin The Cabin will provide a visible and friendly space to engage the community and welcome visitors. Its principal purpose will be to provide a base for the Friends of Feltham Green and to create a central hub for
Feltham’s many and varied local activities hosted by different community groups and public sector services. It will also provide much-needed storage for tools to support community gardening and litter picking. The Cabin has been designed to be used flexibly, for example as a pop-up museum/ art gallery/ exhibition venue/ meeting room/ workspace. The Cabin will also provide a venue for people from across the world who come to Feltham to celebrate the life of a one-time resident, Freddie Mercury. The Friends of Feltham Green aim to make the Cabin available for the public and other local community groups on a ‘cost-recovery’ basis.
Its highly visible position in the centre of the town will form an integral part of both the natural landscape provided by the Green and the urban landscape of the adjacent High Street. let’s talkbusiness
21