The reintroduction of beavers<\/a> in Paradise Fields, Ealing<\/a>, has prevented flooding<\/a> for the first time in years, with the area having experienced problems since the 1970s.<\/p>\n It\u2019s an issue that the council<\/a> had tried \u2013 and failed \u2013 to solve with large-scale and expensive interventions, but less than a year after five beavers<\/a> were introduced to the site in October 2023, the \u201cecosystem engineers\u201d had manufactured the complex wetlands and built a network of at least five dams.<\/p>\n Urban beaver officer \u015eeniz Mustafa said the dams had slowed the flow of water downstream and turned the park into a natural sponge capable of storing large volumes of water.<\/p>\n She said people in the community were \u201cso happy\u201d with their arrival, which had drawn thousands to the site.<\/p>\n \u201cThe community of Greenford was greatly affected by [flooding], and 2024 was the first year the local area didn’t flood. It’s not just people trying to get to the Tube, but it’s people in their houses, going to work, going to school, trying to drive their car, so it’s had such a direct impact,\u201d Ms Mustafa told The Independent.<\/p>\n There are now at least eight beavers<\/a> living in the park, but Ms Mustafa suspects that Willow, the mother beaver, has had more kits.<\/p>\n Along with a beaver project set up in Enfield in 2023, it is the first time the creatures have been in the capital for at least 400 years after they were hunted to extinction for their fur and meat.<\/p>\n It has also inspired a beaver project in Croydon, which the council hopes will arrive in 2028.<\/p>\n The Ealing<\/a> beavers even gained the attention of David Attenborough<\/a>, who featured them in his Wild London documentary.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cIf someone had told me when I first moved here that one day I would have been watching wild beavers in London, I would have thought they were mad.<\/p>\n \u201cThe whole wetland has been brought back to life, and it can now retain a lot more water. Incredibly, for the first time in a decade, residential areas downstream have been flood-free.\u201d<\/p>\n Alongside flood mitigation, the animals\u2019 felling of trees has also allowed sunlight back into the brook, while slower flows have improved water quality.<\/p>\n It has caused fish to return to the area, and meant more complex food webs were able to develop and support insects, birds, bats and amphibians.<\/p>\n Ealing Council said that prior to the reintroduction, large-scale interventions had taken place in the area, straightening and concreting the Brent River channel to try to prevent flooding.<\/p>\n The council said the beaver\u2019s impact was noticeable in the local community. During recent, record-breaking rainfall at Paradise Fields, the station and the area around it remained dry, it added.<\/p>\n Dominic Moffitt, Ealing Council\u2019s cabinet member for climate action, said: \u201cThis project shows how working with nature can improve our resilience and help us respond to the growing challenges of climate change.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Beaver-Ealing.jpeg\")
The beavers were introduced in October 2023 (Matt Smith)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1729351217...jpeg\")
(Getty)<\/p>\n
![\"Sadiq](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/PA-74117054.jpeg\")
Sadiq Khan has championed the reintroduction of beavers (PA)<\/p>\n