Restoring species such as beavers, elk and bison ‘crucial’ for nature, say charity

Successfully restoring keystone species such as beavers, elk and bison is “crucial” to bringing nature back to life in the UK, conservationists have said.

Nature charity Rewilding Britain said that successfully reintroducing missing species could help repair natural systems and benefit wildlife, people and climate, as it announced the latest round of funding for rewilding initiatives.

The latest recipients of the charity’s rewilding innovation fund, which provides up to £15,000 for schemes, includes projects to restore lost species such as beaver, European bison – a close relative to the extinct bison that was once found here – and European elk.

According to Rewilding Britain, rewilding is the large-scale restoration of nature to the point it can take care of itself, by bringing back habitats and natural processes and, where appropriate, reintroducing lost species such as beavers.

The first licensed release of beavers to the wild in England took place in Purbeck earlier this year after the Government gave the go-ahead for wild reintroductions.

Questions have been raised about the release of large animals following illegal releases in Scotland’s Cairngorms of pigs, which were caught and culled, and four lynx, one of which died shortly after capture.

But Rewilding Britain said successful reintroductions, done right with feasibility studies, impact assessments and community consultations, could be a positive move.

Rebecca Wrigley, chief executive of Rewilding Britain, said: “Keystone species like elk, bison and beaver play a vital role in bringing nature back to life.

“They help repair ecosystems and shape wild places in ways that benefit wildlife, people and the climate.

“Successfully reintroducing missing species like these is absolutely crucial.

“It’s a complex process involving multiple stages of research and development, feasibility studies, impact assessments, and community consultations. By taking the time and effort to get it right, we can create a more hopeful future for everyone.”

Among the schemes receiving funding is a joint project by Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire wildlife trusts exploring reintroducing European elk, which are forest and wetland grazers which engineer their landscapes, and are naturally found in freshwater wetlands where beavers also live.

Although beavers are making a comeback in Britain, the UK has no wetlands containing both beavers and elk, and the project by the wildlife trusts is looking at reintroducing elk into two existing beaver enclosures in the counties.

Rewilding Britain said the move would bring the two “keystone” species – so called because they play a key role in an ecosystem – together for the first time in 3,000 years in the UK.

A project led by Wildwood Trust to reintroduce bison to a currently confidential site in the south of England within five years, drawing on the Wilder Blean project which was the first initiative to release the animals into an enclosure in Kent, has also received funding.

While European bison are not native to the UK, its close relative – the globally extinct forest bison – was here, at least during the last ice age, conservationists said.

Paul Whitfield, director general at Wildwood Trust which is leading the project, said: “This funding from Rewilding Britain is enabling us to take the next step in supporting bison reintroduction projects across the UK and inform policy to move the boundaries of bison rewilding.

“The success of Wilder Blean has demonstrated what an astonishing impact bison can have on their environment in a relatively short space of time, as well as the amazing opportunities their reintroduction presents for eco-tourism and education.

“We’d love to see reintroduction projects like Wilder Blean taking place at appropriate sites across the UK, bringing the benefits of this amazing keystone species to multiple habitats.”

A project by Trees for Life has been awarded funding to help bring back beavers to the northern Scottish Highlands, working with communities, landowners and partners to find suitable places for the animals which shape their landscape to help other wildlife, store carbon and curb flooding.

A further ten projects have been awarded up to £15,000 each from Rewilding Britain in this round of funding, including increasing tree species diversity in the Highlands, and a feasibility study into restoring seagrass in Cornwall.