National Trust brings in beavers to boost wildlife in valley by South Downs
The move is the second reintroduction of beavers onto Trust land after a successful scheme at Holnicote, Devon, last year.
A pair of beavers have been released into a large enclosure in a hidden valley on the flanks of the South Downs to boost wildlife, the National Trust said.
The male and female beaver have been introduced into a 15-hectare (37-acre) fenced area in the West Sussex valley, which was gifted to the National Trust in the 1990s after local residents fundraised to buy it for the nation.
It is hoped the pair will build dams and manage the landscape to create new, wildlife-rich wetlands as part of a wider scheme to turn the site into a haven for nature.
A number of organisations and landowners across England are introducing the aquatic mammals to fenced sites to help boost nature and reduce flooding, while they are now also found wild on a number of rivers in England and Scotland.
The latest reintroduction is the first by the Trust in south-east England and its second scheme following a pilot at Holnicote estate on Exmoor, Somerset, last year, where the conservation charity says the animals are thriving.
The pair were relocated from wild populations in Scotland, after health screening, and the South Downs programme will be carefully monitored for benefits such as water quality, floodwater management and wildlife, the Trust said.
“By creating their dams, the beavers will create new and wildlife-rich wetlands; ponds, rivulets and boggy areas that will, over the next few years, benefit a range of wildlife including amphibians such as frogs and toads, many dragonflies and damselflies and wildflowers such as Devil’s-bit scabious that love damp meadows.
“They’ll help us create a pyramid of life based on wetlands – including bird and bat species, as their prey increases in abundance.”
The National Trust said they were not disclosing the location of the beaver enclosure, to give them the best chance of establishing themselves in their new home.
But it is close to the 19th century home of Sir Robert Hunter, one of the three original founders of the National Trust, the charity said.
The project has been funded in part by the Black Down and Hindhead Supporters of the National Trust, who fundraised £62,000, helped by local supporters, and £68,866 from Viridor Credits Environmental Company.
