UK to bring back beavers in first government flood reduction scheme of its kind

A valley in the Forest of Dean will echo to the sound of herbivorous munching next spring when a family of beavers are released into a fenced enclosure to stop a village from flooding, in the first ever such scheme funded by the government.

The Forestry Commission is funding and overseeing the project on Greathough Brook, in which two adult beavers and two kits will be released into a 6.5 hectare enclosure surrounded by state-of-the-art fencing to ensure the beavers do not move into the wider landscape. The Forestry Commission will monitor the impact on wildlife – shown to be hugely beneficial – as well as recording the water flow in the brook. All the beavers will be fully tested for disease before they are released.

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