Gillian recently visited the home of some of the constituency’s newest residents, a pair of Beavers, released in the South Downs National Park. Beavers have been absent from the English landscape for over 400 years after they were hunted to extinction, and their recent reintroduction has already created an improved ecosystem in the area.
This introduction reintroduction of Beavers into the park is part of a wider scheme being carried out by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), in partnership, in this instance, with the South Downs National Park Authority and the National Trust. Across the UK there are now 20 such beaver reintroductions programmes.
On her visit to the area, Gillian didn’t see the Beavers up close as they are predominantly nocturnal aminals, however, the signs of their existence were clear to see. Much of the area is now flooded and scattered with woodchippings and felled trees formed into dams. The net result of this landscape adaptation is an improved ecosystem with greater biodiversity. Their modified habitat of dams, ponds, and boggy areas is already attracting new wildlife including amphibians, invertebrates, and wildflowers that tend to thrive in damp areas.
The MP has been a keen supporter of the project and after her visit said, “they did live up to their name as ‘natures architects’ - the area has been transformed in just a few short months – with loads of dams flooding the area, a lovely sign that the two of them are well underway reclaiming their ancestral home.”
The National Trust and Defra will continue to monitor the beavers’ progress in altering the landscape. If you want to find out more information about the beavers at South Downs, visit the National Trust’s website.
