Come along on the 5 March at 10:00 for the Conservation & Rewilding Day at the beaver reintroduction site at Paradise Fields in Greenford, Ealing. You will learn learn traditional and wildlife friendly management techniques and implement them on the site.
October 2023 saw the successful release of a family of Eurasian beavers into the Ealing Beaver Project’s state of the art enclosure at Paradise Fields in Greenford, Ealing. As a founding partner organisation with the Ealing Beaver Project, Citizen Zoo invite you to a practical rewilding day at a site in the heart of urban Greenford that truly lives up to its name, Paradise fields.
Paradise Fields Site
Paradise Fields is a 10 hectare site, with 8 hectares forming the enclosure and home to the beavers. It is a magical mosaic of mixed habitats including wet woodlands and waterways, meadows dotted with ancient oak standards and large areas of untamed scrubland – practically perfect for wildlife!
Full Address: Paradise Fields, 1000 Greenford Road, Greenford, UB6 0UW
As a volunteer you will learn and undertake traditional and wildlife friendly management techniques. These will enhance, manage and monitor the site and encourage wildlife-friendly behaviour by the public.
With plenty of opportunities to do around the site, meet new people and learn skills on the day. This will include observing the amazing impacts that beavers have already made and will continue to make on the site. You will see their ecosystem engineering delivering potentially profound and positive effects for wildlife and the flow of the Coston’s Brook, which crosses the site.
Where to meet
Meet at the beaver mural underpass entrance in the carpark of Westway Cross Retail Park (behind the McDonald’s). There is ample free parking for up to four hours in the main carpark, with no limits at the carpark immediately beside the McDonald’s (please check this on the day and park at your own risk).
Westway Cross is relatively easy to get to. The nearest point accessible by public transport is Greenford Underground Station (on the Central Line), which is roughly 8 minutes’ away on foot. From Sudbury Hill Station (Piccadilly Line) in the north it’s a 25 minute walk along the Greenford Road.
Bringing Back Beavers to London
Beavers previously shaped Britain’s waterways by creating thriving wetlands and complex river systems. They were brimming with invertebrates, amphibians, birds and fish. However the beavers were hunted to extinction 400 years ago.
Now Eurasian Beavers have been reintroduced in enclosed and open-release sites across the country in England, Wales and Scotland. Also, either through their own efforts or with a bit of “help”, Beavers are found in Kent and Oxfordshire. For more information from Ealing Wildlife about Introducing the Beavers back.
Beavers are a keystone species, referred to as “ecosystems engineers” and the perfect architects of healthy and biodiverse ecosystems.
With their dam and canal creation, they create wetlands and deadwood which create the ideal habitats for insects, amphibians, and even water voles. They also slow the flow of waterways, preventing flooding and filtering water, improving water quality!
Agenda for the day
- 10:00 – 10:15: Arrive on Site & Welcome
- 10:15 – 10:20: Brief on tasks & safety brief
- 10:20 – 12:00: Practical rewilding
- 12:00 – 12:40: Break
- 12:40 – 13:50: Practical rewilding
- 13:50 – 14:00: Clean up, thank you and finish
What to bring
For the Conservation & Rewilding Day you will have hands on experience. Be prepared to for tasks aroudn the site, so bring:
- Old clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty – preferably long sleeves and trousers.
- Coat and layers as you never know when it might rain
- Wellies or boots as the site can be wet and muddy.
- Drinking Water
- Lunch as there is nothing on site.
Regular volunteer days in 2025
Throughout 2025 they will be running regular, bi-weekly volunteer days at their different rewilding sites across London. Keep an eye on their Citizen Zoo Eventbrite and sign up to the Citizen Zoo volunteer newsletter here.
Get updates from ActForEaling
Subscribe to ActForEaling email newsletter for regular updates on what is going on around Ealing and become a Friend of ActForEaling.