Overview

• Rewilding Britain has awarded £15,000 to Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Wildlife Trusts to conduct feasibility studies for reintroducing European elk to fenced wetland enclosures.
• The project aims to co-house elk and beavers in the initial phases, with plans for phased release into Trent Valley wetlands over time.
• Disease risk assessments and consultations with 2,000 households and landowners are being conducted to ensure community support and ecological safety.
• European elk, extinct in Britain since the Neolithic era, are seen as a keystone species capable of optimizing wetland habitats for biodiversity.
• A separate initiative to reintroduce bison to the south of England has also received funding, highlighting broader efforts to restore ecosystems with missing species.