Beavers released in North Yorkshire as part of flood defence scheme

A pair of beavers are being released into a North Yorkshire forest as part of a revolutionary experiment to tackle flooding.

Forestry England moved a pair of Eurasian beavers from Scotland to Cropton Forest.

The five-year trial follows a project in Pickering which showed that building artificial dams can have a major impact on rising water levels.

This will be the first time in the UK that the effects beaver have on artificial dams have ever been studied.

Forestry England expect that the beavers’ activity in Cropton Forest will improve biodiversity and may have the potential to reduce the impact of flooding locally.