Beavers have been reintroduced to an ancient woodland for the first time in centuries.

Five beavers have been released into Bowyers Wood in East Sussex under a rewilding project led by mobile network Ecotalk with the Green Britain Foundation and Beaver Trust.

One of the beavers released swimming in Bowyer Wood (Image: Ecotalk)

Dale Vince, founder of Ecotalk, said: “Releasing a family of these amazing animals into our nature reserve in Sussex is a big moment and small step all at the same time.

“Beavers don’t just live in nature, they build it – around themselves – creating incredible habitats for all manner of other creatures – of land, water and air.”

The animals were moved from a development site in Scotland and will help Bowyers Wood, until recently run as plantation woodland, return to a more natural state.

The beaver family groomed each other when they got into the water (Image: Ecotalk)

Chris Packham, naturalist, broadcaster and chief ecologist at Ecotalk, was present for the beavers’ arrival.

Mr Packham said: “I just can’t remember when I was last so excited about meeting a rodent.

“Big, fantastic rodents.

“And it didn’t disappoint.

“The release went brilliantly – top work and thanks to the Beaver Trust and all the Ecotalk staff and volunteers.

“Rather than sloping off down the stream they stayed and gave us a fantastic daytime show — grooming, interacting and being so cute!”

Beavers, often described as “nature’s engineers,” can restore wetlands, improve biodiversity, and enhance climate resilience through natural water management.

Beavers became extinct in Britain around 400 years ago.

Dr Roisin Campbell-Palmer, head of restoration at Beaver Trust, said: “It has been rewarding to release beavers into Bowyers Wood.

“As nature’s engineers, beavers can play a vital role in helping to replenish landscapes, restore wetlands and support wider Green Britain ambitions for nature recovery and climate resilience.”

“Enclosure projects like this let people see first-hand the benefits beavers bring and build confidence that we can coexist with them.

At the same time, progress towards wild releases continues with pace and ambition, so the full benefits of beaver restoration can be realised at the scale our landscapes need.

Ecotalk, founded in 2016 by green industrialist Dale Vince, is a SIM-only mobile network that uses its profits to restore nature.

The business is part of the Green Britain Group, which also includes Ecotricity, Skydiamond, and Forest Green Rovers.

Mr Vince said: “Beavers are the Swiss Army knife of rewilding – they create amazing habitats that will help us restore Britain’s wildlife.

“They help prevent flooding and their work reduces carbon emissions – helping us towards net zero.

“We need to bring Beavers back for all these reasons.”

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Ecotalk said its customers made the project possible.

Elsewhere in Sussex, Knepp Wilding near Horsham has housed enclosure-released beavers since 2022.

Since March 2025, beavers have also been allowed to be released legally into the wild in Sussex under a licensed catchment-scale system.

At Knepp, beavers in an enclosure have already turned a small stream into wetlands as part of wider ecological recovery on the estate.