Britain Reintroduces Beavers to Tackle Flooding and Restore Wetlands

In October 2023, a family of five Eurasian beavers was released under a government licence into a 20-acre urban park adjacent to Greenford Tube station in Ealing, London. Within weeks the animals dammed a creek, forming a pond that stores runoff and prevents floodwater from reaching the station’s ticket office.

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Beavers were driven to extinction in Britain over four centuries ago. By the early 1900s only about 1,200 remained in Europe. Norway reintroduced the species in the 1920s; in 2009 two Norwegian beavers, Millie and Bjornar, were released in Scotland’s Knapdale Forest, establishing the modern British population.

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The beaver dams act as natural water storage, reducing flood risk and avoiding costly engineered reservoirs. Tree-felling creates open canopies that have attracted freshwater shrimp, eight bird species, two bat species and rare brown-hairstreak butterflies. The project also eliminated a planned reservoir and levee for the Greenford site.

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Project coordinator Sean McCormack emphasizes that beavers provide flood resilience at a fraction of traditional engineering costs. Scottish forester Pete Creech notes the species’ role in maintaining Scotland’s rainforest wetlands. Ian Glover, warden of South Norwood Country Park, expects similar biodiversity gains if beavers are introduced there.

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Scotland’s National Farmers Union representative Kate Maitland reports that beaver-dammed irrigation channels have flooded fields and felled centuries-old trees, causing crop loss. The government fund for river-bank repair covers public-interest projects but does not compensate private-land damage, leaving a funding gap for affected farmers.

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Project proponents cite cost savings, yet precise financial comparisons with engineered reservoirs are not published. The total number of beavers released across Britain remains unspecified, limiting assessment of population scale.

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• “They effectively turned this site into a giant sponge that can take heavy rainfall and slowly release water back into the landscape, creating a lot more resilience for flooding,” — Sean McCormack, local veterinarian, Ealing Beaver Project

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• “We said the beavers can do it for a fraction of the cost, certainly more sustainably,” — Sean McCormack

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• “It's quite devastating to see acres and acres of your land sitting underwater,” — Kate Maitland, regional representative, Scotland’s National Farmers Union

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• “That's exactly the sort of work the beavers would do naturally,” — Ian Glover, countryside warden, South Norwood Country Park

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The South Norwood Country Park authority seeks a licence to release beavers by 2028-29, and additional London sites are under review. Policymakers are discussing funding mechanisms to address the private-land compensation gap highlighted by farmers.

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