Il ritorno dei castori a Londra è ritenuto un segno positivo per l’ambiente e la biodiversità, ce ne parla Reasons to be cheerful.

Questi animali, che si erano estinti in Gran Bretagna da oltre 400 anni, sono stati reintrodotti con successo in alcune aree della città. Secondo l’articolo, i castori portano beneficio all’ambiente costruendo dighe e tane che creano habitat favorevoli per altre specie, come uccelli, pesci e insetti. Queste strutture aiutano anche a migliorare la qualità dell’acqua e a prevenire le inondazioni. La presenza dei castori contribuirebbe quindi  al ripristino degli ecosistemi fluviali e le loro attività di costruzione favorirebbero la crescita di piante acquatiche e la creazione di zone umide. Secondo Reasons to be cheerful il ritorno dei castori a Londra rappresenterebbe un successo per la conservazione della natura e offrirebbe una speranza per la ripresa della biodiversità in un contesto urbano.

Anche la BBC aveva parlato nel 2022 del progetto di reintroduzione:

A male and female beaver, both aged two, were released into a specially designed enclosure in the grounds of Forty Hall Farm in Enfield on Thursday. The species was hunted to extinction in Britain in the 16th Century for its fur, glands and meat. Enfield Council and Capel Manor College devised the north London project. Ian Barnes, Enfield Council’s deputy leader, said it was “quite emotional” when the pair – who have been temporarily nicknamed Justin Beaver and Sigourney Beaver – were released into the wild.

Così come aveva fatto il Natural History Museum, tracciando una breve storia del castoro in UK:

The species living in Europe is Castor fiber, or the Eurasian beaver. Once widespread, it was hunted to near extinction as a result of demand for its fur, meat and a glandular secretion known as castoreum which was used to make perfume. By 1900, it was estimated that only 1,200 survived across Europe and Asia, with the species completely extirpated in the UK. However, over the following century, beavers began to be reintroduced across Europe, with Sweden, Germany and Austria leading the way. The UK was comparatively slower to reintroduce beavers, with the first official reintroduction taking place in Kent in 2002. Since then, many approved animals have been released into enclosures across the country, but there have also been unlicensed releases into the wild dating back at least 20 years. While these unlicensed releases broke the law, the animals have generally been allowed to remain, with the Scottish Government granting all beavers protected status in 2019. The reintroduction to Enfield is the first in London, with the possibility for more to come.

Il Natural History Museum ricorda anche quali sono le regole in Gran Bretagna per la reintroduzione di animali in natura:

The reintroduction of species in England is regulated by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Natural England, with other UK nations having different policies. To bring back a species, a specific code must be followed to ensure it is right for the animal and the environment. Firstly, a species can’t be one that is deemed to be invasive or destructive, such as signal crayfish, muskrats and Himalayan balsam, all of which have had damaging impacts on the UK’s ecosystems. Species that have never been native to Great Britain are also generally prohibited, unless a ‘clear conservation benefit’ can be demonstrated. After this, a license is then needed for certain protected and controlled species listed in Schedule Nine of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, like barn owls and red-necked wallabies, as well as any other species that isn’t ordinarily resident or a regular visitor in the wild in Great Britain. Introducing any of these animals without a license is illegal.