London is embarking on a rewilding journey. The lower reaches of the Thames are, for the first time in centuries, a place to spot seals in abundance, clouds of seabirds, teeming fish, dolphins and even whales. Beavers, carefully reintroduced at Enfield and at Ealing (where they were released by the Mayor himself), are weaving their watery magic and fascinating locals who pass by in their hordes to see what’s going on. More beavers will surely come to transform the smaller streams that meander down through the suburbs and the city.
Led by rewilding organisations such as Citizen Zoo and the London Wildlife Trust, whole communities are coming together as volunteers to heal local nature, hauling out discarded shopping trolleys, clearing invasive plants and releasing hundreds of water voles into newly restored watercourses. Rewilding volunteering is becoming a big thing.
