Beavers are set to return to London for the first time in 400 years, thanks to an urban rewilding project which aims to connect communities with nature.

A breeding pair of Eurasian beavers are likely to arrive at their new woodland home in Ealing, West London, this autumn. The publicly accessible site, Paradise Fields, will be the first of its kind in an urban setting in the UK.

Known as nature’s water engineers, beavers bring huge benefits to recreate river habitats, constructing dams and digging canals, which can slow the flow of water, reduce flood risk, improve water quality and enhance biodiversity.

The Ealing Beaver Project is a collaboration between Ealing Wildlife Group, Citizen Zoo, Friends of Horsenden Hill and Ealing Council with support from Beaver Trust and £40,000 funding from the mayor of London’s Rewild London Fund.

Once complete, it will give people access to a rewilded landscape to experience first-hand beavers’ abilities to create nature-rich wetlands. It will also give opportunities to learn more about how beavers and people can coexist in an urban setting, with the long-term aim of scaling efforts throughout London

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’ve also forgotten the rich tapestry of life they can bring as engineers of healthy ecosystems.

“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 risk by slowing water flow in times of high rainfall and mitigate drought by holding more water on the land. We’re itching to get started and to get the community further involved too.”

Ahead of the planned autumn reintroduction, Paradise Fields, a 10-hectare area of woodland and wetlands, has undergone a feasibility study to get baseline data on existing wildlife. An onsite team has been busy working with the local community to prepare the area for fence installation. The mayor’s funding will support physical preparation of the site, baseline ecological surveys and establishing monitoring activity and community engagement.

Following the beavers’ release, the site will remain closed for a short period to give the new arrivals time to settle, after which it will be open to the public to experience an immersive beaver landscape.

Dr Roisín Campbell-Palmer, head of restoration at Beaver Trust, 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.”

Elliot Newton, co-founder of Citizen Zoo, said, “Across Europe and North America, beavers are known to thrive alongside urban communities. Bringing a range of benefits from increasing the resilience to the challenges of climate breakdown and enriching people’s daily lives, as they encounter these magnificent mammals in their local greenspaces.

“Here we are hoping to challenge perceptions of Londoners 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.”

An Ealing Beaver Project online Q&A, hosted by zoologist and BBC wildlife TV presenter Megan McCubbin, will take place on Monday 3 April and is free to join.