AssetID: 53120396
Headline: RAW VIDEO: Sadiq's Eager For Beavers! London Mayor Reintroduces Toothy Mammals To West London
Caption: The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, made time to release a family of five beavers into Paradise Fields in Ealing on Wednesday (11October2023). This historic release marks the return of beavers to west London after a 400-year absence. It comes after the first birth of a beaver in London since the 17th Century, across the city in Enfield, where reintroduction efforts began last year. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, commented, "I am delighted to welcome back beavers to West London for the first time in 400 years, with the support of my Rewild London Fund. We are facing climate and ecological emergencies worldwide, but we have the power to make a difference, and I am committed to ensuring that London is at the forefront of reversing the trends of declining biodiversity and the destruction of nature." In the 17th century, beavers were hunted to extinction in England. Still, they are now being reintroduced across the country. This forms part of a broader movement in England to restore beaver populations, with colonies established in Kent, Cornwall, Devon, Derbyshire, Enfield, and Oxfordshire. Beavers play a crucial role in fostering the flourishing of other species. They construct dams, dig canals, and create deadwood, which provides and maintains a habitat for various wildlife, including water voles, dragonflies, amphibians, birds, reptiles, and fish. Project partners, who include Ealing Wildlife Group, Citizen Zoo, Ealing Council, Friends of Horsenden Hill and Groundwork London, will closely monitor the beavers in their new environment, assessing the impact on water levels, flood prevention, and the increase in biodiversity in the area. The Mayor's Rewild London Fund, delivered in collaboration with the London Wildlife Trust, has already contributed £2.3 million to projects throughout the capital, enabling the creation or restoration of approximately 350 hectares of wildlife habitat, equivalent to nearly 310 football pitches. The latest funding round, worth £710,000, is now open for bids from community groups, boroughs, and charities seeking to enhance biodiversity and create more habitats for wildlife and plants, making the city more resilient to the impacts of climate change. A new interactive map, "London is Wild and Free," is available for Londoners to explore and learn more about the improved green spaces in the city. This initiative is part of the Mayor's "Green, Wild & Free" campaign, which encourages Londoners to connect with nature and environmentally-focused activities, making nature accessible to all. The Beaver Trust spokesperson, Eva Bishop, added: “It’s an important move in the species’ restoration; "Projects like these offer an ideal opportunity to relocate beavers and continue to stabilise populations while we await a national policy framework for wild releases. It’s incredibly rewarding to see community-driven action to reconnect more people with nature and welcome beavers back into this urban landscape.” The Ealing Beaver Project will offer a blueprint for other community restoration projects driven by passionate people looking to build local landscape resilience.
Keywords: mammals,photo,video,feature,natural world,nature,beavers,sadiq khan
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