The current biodiversity crisis calls for Nature Based Solutions (NBS) to global challenges. A 10% Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) uplift is a legal requirement for most development projects in the UK, representing a green financing mechanism for urban ecosystem restoration. Beavers are ecosystem engineers that increase habitat heterogeneity, producing positive outcomes for biodiversity. This study investigated the change in biodiversity units resulting from the predicted habitat changes caused by beaver reintroduction to a 7.6 ha enclosure in Paradise Fields, Ealing. The relevant literature on beaver impacts was used to predict habitat changes over a 30-year period. The DEFRA statutory biodiversity units metric and condition assessments were used to calculate the site’s units. Observations from previous research supported a scenario that showed an increase in units of a minimum of 30% from baseline. There was, however, high variability in results. Current management of the site is likely to restrict BNG uplift by preventing expansion of the main pond area. In conjunction with management to ensure the woodland structure is protected from uncontrolled herbivory, beaver reintroduction can create BNG units and represent a viable NBS option to mitigate biodiversity loss and support ecological restoration in areas where damming behaviour is unrestricted and large-scale habitat changes can occur.
McIlroy et al. (Sun,) studied this question.