A
new
project
is
looking
to
bring
elk
back
to
the
UK.
Rewilding
Britain
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After
successfully
reintroducing
beavers
back
into
the
wild
in
England,
a
new
project
is
looking
to
bring
European
elk
back
to
the
UK.
The
elk
previously
went
extinct
in
the
UK
3,000
years
ago.
Rewilding
Britain
is
awarding
grants
through
its
Rewilding
Innovation
Fund
for
a
joint
project
by
the
Derbyshire
and
Nottinghamshire
Wildlife
Trusts
in
order
to
return
European
elk
—
as
well
as
bison
and
beaver
—
to
the
wild
in
England.
As
part
of
the
fund,
multiple
projects
will
receive
up
to
15,000
pounds
($19,918)
to
put
toward
rewilding
initiatives.
“Keystone
species
like
elk,
bison
and
beaver
play
a
vital
role
in
bringing
nature
back
to
life.
They
help
repair
ecosystems
and
shape
wild
places
in
ways
that
benefit
wildlife,
people
and
the
climate,”
Rebecca
Wrigley,
chief
executive
of
Rewilding
Britain,
said
in
a
statement.
“Successfully
reintroducing
missing
species
like
these
is
absolutely
crucial.”
As
Derbyshire
Wildlife
Trust
reported,
the
European
elk
(Alces
alces),
forages
in
wooded
areas
and
grazes
in
wetlands,
both
actions
that
can
help
regenerate
ecosystems.
These
animals
consume
leaves
and
twigs
of
trees
and
shrubs,
which
can
help
spread
seeds,
and
they
also
eat
submerged
vegetation
in
wetlands.
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While
both
elk
and
beavers
are
native
to
the
UK,
hunting
and
habitat
loss
caused
both
to
go
extinct.
Beavers
disappeared
from
the
wilderness
in
the
UK
around
400
years
ago,
and
elk
went
extinct
in
the
UK
3,000
years
ago.
While
ongoing
projects
have
helped
return
beavers
to
wetland
habitats
in
the
UK,
there
are
no
wetlands
that
are
home
to
both
beavers
and
elk.
Derbyshire
and
Nottinghamshire
Wildlife
Trusts
are
optimistic
that
their
proposed
project
to
release
elk
into
existing
beaver
enclosures
will
help
successfully
restore
these
animals
back
into
the
wild.
“This
project
could
demonstrate
how
this
crucial
ecosystem
engineer
can
thrive
in
floodplain
landscapes,
shaping
diverse
habitats
that
benefit
communities
and
support
biodiversity
recovery,”
said
Rachel
Bennett,
deputy
director
of
Wilder
Landscapes
and
Derbyshire
Wildlife
Trust.
“It
may
also
serve
as
a
catalyst
for
engaging
people
in
the
long-term
benefits
of
returning
elk
to
the
wild.”
Including
the
project
to
reintroduce
elk
from
Derbyshire
and
Nottinghamshire
Wildlife
Trusts,
13
total
projects
will
receive
funding
from
Rewilding
Britain.
Other
projects
include
an
initiative
to
bring
bison
to
the
wild
in
the
UK,
a
project
to
return
beavers
to
the
northern
Scottish
Highlands,
a
study
on
seagrass
restoration
in
Cornwall
and
further
progress
for
an
ongoing
project
to
restore
temperate
rainforests
of
the
Scottish
Highlands,
among
others.
The
entire
list
of
funded
projects,
except
one
that
remains
confidential,
is
available
here.
In
total,
Rewilding
Britain
is
investing
almost
£180,000
($239,000)
in
this
group
of
Rewilding
Innovation
Fund
projects;
this
is
the
largest
amount
of
money
the
organization
has
ever
invested
in
one
set.
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