How eight beavers solved a Tube flooding problem engineers have been trying to fix for years
An unlikely group of engineers have solved a decades-old flooding problem affecting North London residents’ homes, streets and the local tube station.
The reintroduction of beavers to Paradise Fields in Ealing has prevented flooding for the first time in years in the area, which has been plagued by problems since the 1970s.
It was a problem the council had tried and failed to solve with large-scale and expensive interventions, but by October 2023, less than a year after five beavers were introduced to the site, “ecosystem engineers” had produced complex wetlands and built a network of at least five dams.
Urban beaver officer Şeniz Mustafa said the dams slow down the flow of water downstream, turning the park into a natural sponge that can store large amounts of water.
He said locals were “very happy” as thousands of people came to the site.
“The Greenford community has been greatly impacted [flooding]The year 2024 was the first year in which the local area was not flooded. Not only are there people trying to get to the metro, but there are also people at home going to work, going to school, trying to drive their cars, so this has had a very direct impact,” Ms Mustafa said. Independent.
At least eight beavers currently live in the park, but Miss Mustafa suspects mother beaver Willow has more.
With the beaver project launched in Enfield in 2023, creatures hunted to extinction for their fur and meat are in the capital for the first time in at least 400 years.
It has also inspired a beaver project in Croydon which the council hopes will arrive in 2028.
Ealing beavers even caught the eye of David Attenborough, who featured them in his documentary Wild London.
He said: “If someone had told me when I first moved here that I would one day be watching wild beavers in London, I would have thought they were crazy.
“The entire wetland has been brought back to life and can now hold much more water. Incredibly, for the first time in a decade, residential areas further down the river have been spared from flooding.”
In addition to reducing the danger of flooding, animals clearing trees also allowed sunlight to return to the stream and the slower flow improved water quality.
It caused fish to return to the area and meant that more complex food webs could develop and support insects, birds, bats and amphibians.
Ealing Municipality said that before the transition to the channel again, large-scale interventions were carried out in the region, and the Brent River channel was straightened and concreted to prevent floods.
The council said the impact of the beaver was noticeable in the local community. It was also noted that the station and surrounding area remained dry during recent record-breaking rainfall at Paradise Fields.
Dominic Moffitt, Ealing Council’s cabinet member for climate action, said: “This project shows how working with nature can increase our resilience and help us respond to the growing challenges of climate change.
“By supporting the reintroduction of beavers to Paradise Fields, we have enabled a natural solution that slows water flow, reduces the risk of flooding for local communities and also increases biodiversity.
“This is a powerful example of how innovative, nature-based approaches can complement traditional flood management, deliver lasting benefits to the environment and deliver better lives for Ealing residents.”
Sir Sadiq Khan, who backed the project, said he was “delighted” to prove its critics wrong.
A spokesman for the Mayor of London said: “It’s wonderful to see Ealing beavers thriving in their new home. Nature is more than just something we visit, it’s part of how London works and beavers play an important role in supporting local habitats.
“It is incredible that in just a few years they have helped stop flooding at a local station, transformed Paradise Fields into a thriving wetland and helped increase the biodiversity of the area.”
