Beaver Reintroduction at Derriford Community Park

Building on Devon Wildlife Trust’s Beaver Project Pilots in the Tamar headwaters and River Otter, permission has now been granted for Plymouth City Council to reintroduce beavers at Derriford Community Park.

We will be introducing a beaver to a 5 hectare, secure enclosure and observing what happens. The impact will be monitored through data collection and analysis and compared to a control site which took a hard engineering approach to solve drainage issues on the other side of the valley.

Photo credit: Mike Symes

Beavers are aquatic engineers and nature’s solution to water management! Evidence shows that their canals and dams have the potential to increase water storage capacity, reducing flooding downstream and releasing more water during droughts - and improve water quality by removing pollutants from the water as they settle in their ponds. Beavers also create habitats which they and other species can benefit from.

Up close and personal

A new network of paths through the park and a sustainably-built beaver hide will enable everyone to get up close to this special mammal’s habitat and an exhibition/meeting space for use by local communities and organisations.

Activities will be complemented by a volunteering, training and engagement programme to enable people to participate in the project’s development, collect data, develop practical skills and learn more about the link between nature and our daily lives.