Beavers are the engineers of the animal world, creating wetland where wildlife can thrive. After a 400-year absence, beavers are now back in Britain. In early February 2023, the Hedingham Heritage Society hosted a talk by Darren Tansley from the Essex Wildlife Trust (EWT) on the introduction of beavers at Spains Hall to 're-wiggle' a stream to slow down the flow of water and increase biodiversity.
Has it worked? According to Spains Hall, the answer to that is 'probably'. It is still working with EWT to evaluate the full impact of the pilot project but is sufficiently confident in the outcome to commit to building much larger enclosures where more beavers can create more wetland.
To find out more go to www.spainshallestate.co.uk/nfm_beavers and www.essexwt.org.uk/news/historic-day-beavers-england