<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/21/beavers-to-return-to-london-as-part-of-urban-rewilding>
"Beavers will return to west London for the first time in 400 years after
receiving funding from the capital’s mayor, Sadiq Khan.
A breeding pair of Eurasian beavers could arrive at their new home in Paradise
Fields, Ealing, as soon as this autumn.
Conservation groups received £40,000 from the mayor of London to create the
publicly accessible reintroduction site, the first of its kind in an urban
setting in the UK.
It is viewed as an important step in the rewilding project as wild beaver
populations in Kent and Oxfordshire move closer to London.
Dr Sean McCormack, vet and chair of the 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’re so excited to study how beavers interact with an urban river catchment
and, crucially, with urban communities.”
The group hopes the planned wetland will show how beavers can be managed in an
urban setting, including monitoring flood mitigation effects.
“We are hoping to challenge perceptions, 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,” added Elliot
Newton, co-founder of the rewilding organisation Citizen Zoo.
The project is one of 22 across the capital to receive mayoral support as part
of the Rewild London Fund."
Via
Future Crunch:
<
https://futurecrunch.com/good-news-river-restoration-malaria-kenya-teen-pregnancy-new-zealand/>
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*** Xanni ***
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mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics