Project overview
Project overview
Lots of UK produce, like wheat and barley, is grown in Norfolk. But, Norfolk is facing an ongoing water crisis which is causing issues for farmers. Rivers and wetlands are disconnected and degraded. Climate change is altering frequency and intensity of rainfall leading to summer droughts and winter flooding. All this impacts nature, food production and livelihoods. It’s a serious problem. But farmers in Norfolk are involved in finding clever solutions.
WWF is working with Norfolk Rivers Trust (NRT) and communities to restore Norfolk’s rivers and wildlife. We're using Nature-based solutions to help both nature and people to thrive. As part of the Wholescape programme, we're working to bring beavers back to north Norfolk.
Why we are doing it
Why we are doing it
Our natural world is facing a triple challenge. We urgently need to prevent catastrophic climate change, halt and reverse the loss of nature, and ensure people have access to healthy and sustainable food. This is where beavers can help. These little engineers are in fact a UK native species, but have been absent for around 400 years, hunted to extinction.
Beavers can build dams all by themselves. These dams create wetlands that quickly fill with water, insects and other wildlife. Not only are the dams amazing for nature, but they also help reduce the impact of extreme weather.
Returning beavers to Norfolk has lots of benefits for wildlife and people, including helping to increase the availability of freshwater, reducing the risk of flooding, and improving biodiversity in the area.
Project impact
Project impact
The north Norfolk project will establish families of beavers at key sites in the Glaven river catchment by 2026. It aims to increase wetland habitat and invertebrate abundance, inform river restoration planning and create evidence to support wider work of this kind, supporting the re-establishment of beavers across their former UK range. Winnie and Eeyore – a pair of beavers named by the local community – were the first of these beavers to arrive.
NRT released Winnie and Eeyore into their 7Ha enclosure in 2021. In an environment that was largely devoid of wildlife, the beavers had little to work with – just a tiny stream about 1 foot wide and one small pond. Just enough for two beavers to get to work…
By doing what beavers do – felling trees, building dams, creating ponds and pools – Winnie, Eeyore and their kits have held water at every possible location, creating around 5Ha of complex, high-quality wetland. They’ve transformed the place – rushes and marestail are starting to grow under the dappled light of a more open canopy. Frogs and toads are returning. Dragonflies and damselflies flit about while kingfishers and moorhens are busy dipping and diving.
Next steps
Next steps
Winnie and Eeyore's pilot reintroduction is helping to inform plans to translocate a further 8 beavers (4 pairs) to Norfolk from Scotland. WWF is partnering with NRT, who are working closely with Natural England, The Beaver Trust and the River Glaven catchment communities. Communities here are already exposed to the risks associated with the Triple Challenge, so improved sea and land-use is central to the area’s future.
As well as delivering conservation impact in north Norfolk, the reintroduction project will also contribute to new science and evidence for the national debate on free beaver release.
