Local beaver scouts enjoyed a dusk visit to the Forty Hall enclosure to celebrate the success of the species reintroduction project
A group of local beaver scouts enjoyed a special visit to Enfield’s pioneering beaver reintroduction project this week – as the colony continues to expand.
Recent monitoring has confirmed the continued growth of the beaver family living at Archers Wood, part of Forty Hall Farm, with new kits spotted alongside their parents.
The sightings identified at least eleven beavers living on the site, making the project one of London’s most successful species reintroduction programmes.
Enfield was the first borough to welcome the arrival of beavers to the capital, for the first time in 400 years, when the project was established in March 2022. The following year, the first beaver kits in London were born.
To celebrate the project’s success the 4th Enfield Beavers group were invited for an exclusive evening tour of the enclosure, which is jointly managed by Enfield Council and Capel Manor College, which runs Forty Hall Farm.
Accompanied by experts from the council and college, the young beavers learned how their animal namesakes are helping to transform the local environment by creating wetlands, enhancing biodiversity and naturally reducing flood risk.
The group visited the site at dusk and gathered at the recently-constructed viewing platform in the hope of spotting the elusive creatures. While the beavers remained hidden, as they very often are, the young visitors were instead shown footage captured by monitoring cameras of the animals felling trees, building dams and foraging for food within the expanding habitat.
Although it is difficult to see the beavers at the Forty Hall enclosure, evidence of their activity is easy to spot, with many tree stumps having pointed tips – a key indicator they have been felled by the nocturnal mammals.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of beavers, the youngest age group of the Scouts UK movement, which is open to boys and girls aged from six to eight years.
Andrew Thorp, the council’s cabinet member for communications and customer services, is also a local scout leader and joined the 4th Enfield Beavers on their recent visit.
Cllr Thorp said: “Few people get the chance to meet the animals they share their name with, so it was wonderful to welcome 4th Enfield Beavers to our beaver enclosure and celebrate two very special milestones together.”
Since being introduced to Enfield in 2022, the semiaquatic rodents have transformed the landscape of Archers Wood. Their natural engineering has created new wetland habitats that support a wide variety of wildlife, while helping to slow the flow of water through the Turkey Brook catchment.
This role is becoming increasingly important as changing weather patterns bring greater extremes of drought and heavy rainfall. The beaver dams help retain water during dry periods and slow the speed of water moving downstream, reducing flood risk for the major centres of population located downstream, such as Bullsmoor and Enfield Wash.
Cllr Thorp continued: “The growth of our beaver family is a remarkable success story for Enfield and demonstrates how nature-based solutions can help tackle some of the biggest environmental challenges we face. From reducing flood risk to boosting biodiversity, these animals are already making a significant difference to our local environment.
“Beaver scouts give young people a place to belong, and I’m super proud that our animal beaver family have their place to belong, here in Enfield.”
The success of the project forms part of the council’s wider ambition to restore nature across the borough through the Enfield Chase Landscape Restoration programme. The council and its partners are working to transform 1,500 hectares of farmland and green spaces, creating new habitats, improving public access to nature and supporting climate resilience.
Victoria Beckwith, Capel Manor College’s head of Forty Hall Farm, added: “We at Capel Manor are incredibly excited to see beaver numbers growing year on year at Forty Hall Farm and the positive impact they are having on the local landscape, from natural water management and habitat creation to supporting greater biodiversity.
“Working with Enfield Council and our wider partners, this project brings together conservation, education and community engagement, while giving our students a unique opportunity to learn from a living landscape. We are excited about its future and the potential to expand the project further, with the longer-term ambition of exploring beaver reintroduction.”
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