An unexpected arrival

Something extraordinary has happened at Pensthorpe.

Wild beavers have made their home along our stretch of the River Wensum.

Unlike the beavers already successfully established within enclosures, these animals are living completely wild and unrestrained by fences. Even more excitingly, we now know that they are breeding, with two beaver kits recorded at Pensthorpe this year.

For a species that disappeared from Britain around 400 years ago, seeing a wild beaver family establishing itself on the Wensum is incredibly special.

But one family of beavers is not a recovered population.

Their unexpected arrival has created an opportunity to explore something much bigger:

Could we establish a healthy, sustainable population of wild beavers across the wider River Wensum catchment?

Together with conservation organisations and projects across Norfolk, we now want to undertake the work needed to answer that question and, if the evidence supports it, begin building the foundations for a future licensed reintroduction programme.

That is what we are asking you to help fund.

What will your donation support?

Bringing beavers back successfully isn't simply about releasing animals into a river. A project of this scale requires considerable research, consultation, training, planning and engagement before any future licensed releases could take place.

Money raised through this campaign will directly support that groundwork.

Your donations will help fund:

A detailed feasibility study to understand where and how a sustainable beaver population could become established within the Wensum catchment.

Landowner and farmer engagement,working with the people who manage and live alongside the river to understand opportunities and concerns.

Community consultation and public engagement, building understanding and support for beaver recovery.

Education and awareness, helping people understand the benefits beavers can bring to our rivers and wetlands, as well as the realities of living alongside them.

Training and development of local expertise, ensuring people are equipped to monitor beavers and respond appropriately to their activity.

Planning for management and mitigation**, identifying where beaver activity could potentially create challenges and ensuring solutions are available.

The preparation and evidence needed to support future discussions and licensing with Natural England, should the project progress towards further releases.

This work will help determine what a successful future for beavers on the Wensum could look like and ensure that any future reintroduction is properly planned, evidence-led and supported by the people who share the landscape with them.

Why bring beavers back?

Beavers are often described as ecosystem engineers because of the extraordinary influence they can have on the landscapes around them.

Through dam building, digging channels and managing vegetation, they can create a mosaic of wetland habitats that provide opportunities for a huge variety of wildlife.

Their activity can help retain water within the landscape, slow its movement through river catchments and create more varied and resilient wetland systems.

Their return therefore isn't simply about bringing back one lost species. It has the potential to contribute to the wider recovery of our rivers, wetlands and wildlife.

But successful recovery means establishing a resilient population.

One family at Pensthorpe is an extraordinary start, but a genuinely sustainable population would require multiple family groups living across a sufficiently large and connected landscape. Achieving that requires us to look beyond Pensthorpe and consider the Wensum as a whole.

A collaborative project for the Wensum

This is not a Pensthorpe project alone.

Beavers don't recognise ownership boundaries, and their successful return to the Wensum can only be achieved through organisations, landowners and communities working together across the catchment.

Pensthorpe is working alongside and building relationships with Norfolk Rivers Trust, Norfolk Wildlife Trust, the Hawk and Owl Trust at Sculthorpe Moor and the Wendling Beck Environment Project, bringing together knowledge, experience and a shared ambition for healthier rivers and wetlands.

Each organisation brings different experience and expertise, and our aim is to work collaboratively as the project develops, alongside farmers, landowners, communities, Natural England and others with a stake in the future of the Wensum.

There is also a much bigger picture. Beaver recovery projects are developing across the country, including several here in East Anglia. By linking with these projects and sharing knowledge and experience, we can learn from what is happening elsewhere while helping develop an approach that works for the Wensum and the people who live alongside it.

From one family to a future population

The arrival of wild beavers at Pensthorpe wasn't something we planned.

But seeing them establish themselves here and successfully breed has given us an extraordinary glimpse of what could be possible.

Now we want to work with our partners and the wider Wensum community to find out whether their arrival could become the beginning of something much bigger.

Every donation will help fund the research, engagement, training and planning needed to take the next step towards a healthy, sustainable wild beaver population on the River Wensum.

Together, we can help create a future where beavers are once again a thriving part of Norfolk's rivers and wetlands.