On the frontline of London's wildlife boom

From beavers to bats, a push to rewild the capital is starting to pay off

Morning — for the first time in more than 400 years, baby beavers have been born in urban London. The happy news was announced on Wednesday by the Ealing Beaver Project, a team of ecologists who’ve been overseeing the reintroduction of the species in west London since last year. The arrival of the two beaver babies — known as ‘kits’ — is “proof that humans and wildlife can thrive side by side in urban environments,” the conservation group wrote in a blog post.

There are more people in London starting to think that way. There’s no pretending the city isn’t basically a concrete jungle, but in pockets across the capital, rewilding and habitat management projects are flourishing. Today we’re bringing you a piece by freelancer Ellie Swain, who’s been speaking to those trying to make London a more friendly place for wildlife. Crucially, there’s been a new magic ingredient in the mix: cash.

Tales from the frontline of London’s wildlife boom are below.

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Beavers, birds and Buckingham Palace: What it’s like managing London’s wildlife

By Ellie Swain

A baby beaver, or ‘kit’, caught on camera in Ealing

I remember my first visit to Richmond Park around eight years ago, standing in awe as I gawked around at the hordes of elegant, inquisitive-looking deer peering from behind the trees. I couldn’t believe that the rugged, sometimes overgrown terrain filled with creatures was just a 20-minute train ride from the centre of London. Richmond Park is a National Nature Reserve homing 630 red and fallow deer that have been roaming the grounds freely since 1637. It’s one of London’s oldest success stories of nature coexisting with the urban — but certainly not the only one.

In fact, London is seemingly in the midst of a wildlife boom. Or more accurately, a rewilding boom. The capital hasn’t escaped the catastrophic decline in biodiversity seen across the UK over the past few decades, but, in 2024, a new wave of conservation projects is gathering pace. There is, of course, the city’s new community of beavers, whose reintroduction to west London last year after four centuries of absence garnered much press attention. But dozens of other projects are in the works: harvest mice are being brought back to Perivale Wood in Ealing, after going extinct in the borough in 1979; the Zoological Society of London is leading efforts to document and recover the city’s water vole population; possible habitats for white storks are now being investigated. As to what’s behind much of this sudden uptick in rewilding: a little-known pot of taxpayers’ cash.