Funding to help the return of Britain's lost species

Beavers have already begun to make a comeback to Britain, but some projects are looking to expand this

Projects aimed at bringing elk, bison and beaver back to Britain have been awarded funding to help their efforts.

Rewilding Britain, a charity focused on nature and its restoration, has awarded up to £15,000 to 13 projects as part of its Rewilding Innovation Fund.

Several of the projects are looking into returning species like bison, beaver and European elk to Britain to help boost rewilding efforts, something which the charity welcomes.

What is rewilding and why is it important?

Rewilding projects can help nature to thrive

Rewilding is all about creating the right conditions in certain environments which will allow nature to thrive with little outside interference.

"Keystone species like elk, bison and beaver play a vital role in bringing nature back to life," said Rebecca Wrigley who is the chief executive of Rewilding Britain.

"They help repair ecosystems and shape wild places in ways that benefit wildlife, people and the climate.

"Successfully reintroducing missing species like these is absolutely crucial."

Which projects are receiving funding?

One project aims to bring European elk back to the UK

Funding is being awarded to Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trusts for a joint project exploring bringing back elk to Britain.

European elk, which are called moose in North America, are known for searching for food in woodlands and grazing in wetlands.

Like beavers, they play an important role in helping to keep their environment healthy. Their grazing helps the surrounding woodland to regrow and flourish, while their trampling helps to keep clearings open.

The project is also working towards the possibility of reintroducing elk into two existing beaver enclosures, which will bring the two species together for the first time in 3000 years in the UK.

European bison aren't native to Britain, but are seen are a good substitute for the now extinct Bison schoetensacki

Another project is looking to reintroduce bison to the south of England.

Led by Wildwood Trust in Kent, the project will use lessons learned from the Wilder Blean project, which was the first focused on reintroducing bison in in the UK.

Although European bison aren't actually from Britain, the species' close relative the Bison schoetensacki which is now extinct, was once in the UK.

With the species dying out, the surviving European bison is seen as a suitable alternative.

The funding from the Rewilding Innovation Fund will help Wildwood Trust create a plan which could eventually see bison reintroduced to a specific site within five years.

A project by the charity Trees for Life has been awarded funding to help bring beavers back to the northern Highlands in Scotland.

The charity will be working with local communities, land owners and other groups to make sure beavers are reintroduced to habitats where they'll be able to thrive and successfully support other wildlife.