#73: Sean McCormack - Rewilding Urban London (Part 2)

Podcast episode and companion blog post

Sean McCormack is a consultant Vet, the Chairperson of Ealing Wildlife Group, and an incredibly knowledgeable nature conservationist and educator based in west London.  This episode is part 2 of our conversation where we get into more detail on: 

• The practicalities of reintroducing beavers to an urban park

• Management of urban nature

• Rewilding vs nature restoration

• The importance of partnerships and collaboration

I also got the chance to speak with Elliot Newton and Ben Stockwell of Citizen Zoo, who are also involved in the beaver reintroduction at Paradise Fields. Listen out for their voices towards the end of this episode.

Learn more about Ealing Wildlife Group: https://ealingwildlifegroup.com/

Listen to this episode and check out the whole back catalogue of episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and my website.

Photos of the Rewilding Site

Sean in front of the pond where beavers will be reintroduced in Paradise Fields, Ealing. Notice the thick vegetation, which is mostly common reed. Beavers will disrupt this habitat (in a good way) and allow more diversity of vegetation to flourish.

The ‘ideal beaver habitat’ that has developed at Paradise Fields due to years of reduced management. This little patch of woodland is more wet and muddy than the photo suggests!

The beaver-proof fence acting as the enclosure to Paradise Fields being constructed. As Sean says, it looks a bit like a prison fence at the moment. But the aesthetic will soften as vegetation is allowed to grow around it.

Image of rough grassland in Paradise Fields with the towers of Ealing in the background. This ‘rewilded’ landscape has been allowed to develop over the years due to a loss of funding for management rather than a conscious rewilding effort.

Thanks for listening. I’d love to hear from you in the comments if this episode resonated with you.